


Episode 3-20 - "The Fury"

by stgjr



Series: Undiscovered Frontier Season 3 - "The Coming Storm" [20]
Category: Original Work, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Multiple Crossovers, Multiverse, Space Opera
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-25 09:41:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 28,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22493983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stgjr/pseuds/stgjr
Summary: A group of agents threaten delicate peace talks with the Dominion on Deep Space Nine.
Series: Undiscovered Frontier Season 3 - "The Coming Storm" [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/875274
Comments: 5
Kudos: 2
Collections: Undiscovered Frontier - A Multiverse Crossover Space Opera





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> And so the end of Season 3 begins! Sorry for the delay everyone, I was busy writing an original novel series through the last year, but I found the time here and there to complete the final three episodes.

**Teaser**  
  
  
_Ship's Log: 12 November 2643 AST; ASV Aurora. Captain Kaveri Varma recording. We arrived at Federation-controlled space station_ Deep Space Nine _at 0934 hours New Liberty time. Our orders are to support and protect peace talks being held with the Dominion and the Cardassians. Captain Dale and Commander Richmond will be cooperating with Constable Odo of station security in this matter. The Alliance Government hopes to defuse the growing tensions with the Dominion and end the ongoing border skirmishes provoked by Jem'Hadar incursions into Federation, Klingon, and Alliance space. But we can expect the Dominion to extract a high price for any concessions.  
  
I am pleased to report that after two weeks in command of the _Aurora, _the crew of this ship has adjusted to the circumstances._  
  
  
Meridina and Master Chief Levi Rohm were seated in the ready office side by side. Behind the desk, Kaveri examined the performance reviews ordered by Command as part of the fleet-wide mobilization. "I am quite pleased to see this," she said to them. "The crew's performance matches or exceeds all fleet guidelines in every department."  
  
"Thank you, ma'am, but given who we are, it should be exceeding in all of them," said Chief Rohm. The Israeli-American naval veteran was from the same Earth as the Alliance founders, although his presence was not from any link to them but his own decision to enlist following the beginning of the war with the Nazi Reich. It was more chance than anything that led to his assignment to the _Aurora_.  
  
"I appreciate that, Chief, but with the recent attacks and the changes in command they caused, it is not surprising."  
  
"It is something to work on, certainly," Meridina said. She herself was concerned with the performance of the science section.  
  
"I recommend more drills," stated Chief Rohm.  
  
"That can be arranged." Kaveri signed off on the review. "Thank you again, Chief, for your diligence. You are dismissed."  
  
He nodded and departed the ready office. He knew enough about the weird things that could happen on the ship to figure something on that line was going to be discussed between the Captain and XO, and he had other matters to deal with.  
  
Once he was gone Kaveri looked to Meridina. "Your translation efforts. How are they progressing?"  
  
"Our rate has slowed," she admitted. "We have come to the end of the material partially translated by _Mastrash_ Ledosh before he… died." Pain was evident in her voice, even if she fought to keep a stoic look.  
  
Kaveri nodded. She gave a gentle, knowing look to Meridina. "I imagine it is quite painful," she said. "Ledosh was your instructor in these life force arts, was he not?"  
  
"He was. I was his apprentice from the time I ended my initiate's training," Meridina said. "I never felt so honored in my life before. That he was struck down… even with all the horror of that day, that is the pain I still feel the most keenly."  
  
"I understand that," said Kaveri. "Teachers can be as close as parents. Closer, perhaps."  
  
Meridina sensed an old guilt in Kaveri. Her daughter Zhengli - now Zhen'var, the Captain of the _ASV Huáscar_ \- had grown up with teachers more than her own mother given Kaveri's Earthforce career. This was not sensed telepathically, as Kaveri's mind was carefully reciting Hindu proverbs as was her custom to ease things for telepaths in her presence. It was sensed through her _swevyra_ , the part of her that connected to the wider Flow of Life, and gave her insights and abilities.  
  
Kaveri recognized that from the look on Meridina's face. "I am still getting used to the alternate form of telepathy your powers make possible," she admitted. "Even after a lifetime of working carefully around telepaths."  
  
"I have no intention to pry," Meridina assured her. "I promise you that."  
  
"Of course not." Kaveri said nothing for the moment, letting her memories briefly flash back by seven months to Tira, where Meridina had entered her mind to confirm a private matter. Neither of them were comfortable with that recollection as Kaveri, while ultimately consenting, had been understandably upset at being required to give that consent. Meridina, in turn, felt then and now that Kaveri's reluctance undermined the consent, and thus tainted Meridina's use of her telepathic gifts.  
  
Kaveri spoke on a more immediate subject. "This space station, _Deep Space Nine_. I have heard things about it, but this is my first time here. What might I expect?"  
  
"It is… interesting," Meridina managed.  
  
"Ah." Kaveri smiled at that. "I suppose I shall have to see that for myself during these talks."  
  
  
  
  
The Promenade was as active as ever in light of the coming negotiations. The myriad merchants and traders who usually passed through the station were joined by observers sent from other governments or news organizations, giving establishments like Quark's another set of potential customers.  
  
An electronic trilling filled the air beside the bar proper as another dart hit home on the dartboard beside it. "Another twenty, Chief," said Doctor Julian Bashir, the station's physician. He was wearing the newly-issued Starfleet uniforms, the shoulders now gray with medical blue on the collar instead. "We've got this one."  
  
Chief Miles O'Brien retrieved his darts from the board with a smile. He walked back and handed them over to Zack Carrey, who in turn gave them to Tom Barnes. "Good luck," O'Brien said amiably.  
  
Zack gave him a bemused look. "Given you've got a genetically-augmented doctor on your side, luck isn't at play in this game."  
  
"Ah, but your friend has a rather capable prosthetic right arm," Bashir noted. "It does even things out."  
  
Tom stepped up and started tossing his darts. He made good on O'Brien's points and then some, chipping away the lead of the two DS9 staff. As he finished he asked, "So, how's that Battle of Britain program doing for you? We've been using another one lately."  
  
"We haven't shot down any Jerries lately," Bashir answered. "Miles and I have been running a program trying to defend the Alamo."  
  
"The Alamo?" Zack chuckled. "So which of you plays good ol' 'Davy, Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier?'" He said the name and title in a sing-song fashion, emulating the song he'd heard from his childhood.  
  
"We both have, but only sometimes," Bashir said.  
  
"So have you managed to hold the mission yet?"  
  
"Not once," O'Brien sighed. "They always get through in the end."  
  
Tom handed Zack the darts. "I brought us as close as I could," he said. "It's up to you." He stepped back and watched as Zack made an effort to hit the most high-value points.  
  
In the end, he missed one slightly so that the point gap remained, if reduced. He let out a sigh. "Well, that's that I guess." He turned to the bar. "Drinks are on us, Tom."  
  
Zack was surprised to see a holographic viewer, showing a baseball game somewhere in the Multiverse, built into the area above the bar. Another viewer was showing what was presumably a different channel, this one depicting a biotiball game from M4P2. Quark's voice turned Zack's attention to the bar. "I see you lost," he said. "Drinks are on you then?"  
  
"Yeah. And what's this?" He gestured to the viewers.  
  
"Just had them installed," said Quark. Even without asking he already knew what drinks Zack would be ordering and worked on preparing them.  
  
"So you're adding 'Sports Bar' to the 'Casino' part?"  
  
"Not really," Quark admitted. "You'd be surprised how many people watch these things to bet on the outcomes. It's a very lucrative market."  
  
"I know it is," Zack said. He kept his voice from sounding too upset at it. _Sports betting only destroyed my career and turned me and my Dad against each other… well, even moreso, there_.  
  
Even if he didn't know how he'd upset his customer, Quark swiftly recognized he had and adjusted. "Think of it as an investment. I'm investing in the Federation and your Alliance sticking around. It's not like the Cardassians or Jem'Hadar will be very interested in your sports." He finished pouring the last of the four drinks, specifically Zack's non-alcoholic mix. "I've got a good feeling about the talks too. As the 35th Rule of Acquisition says, 'Peace is good for business.'"  
  
"I thought the rule before it said war was good for business?" asked Bashir.  
  
"It does, but if you ask me, the 35th Rule supersedes the 34th," Quark said before departing.  
  
Zack brought the drinks over to the table where the others were seated. Nearby a cry of "Dabo!" split the air. "So, here we are," he said, making sure to take the non-alcoholic drink offered. "It looks like Quark's optimistic about this summit."  
  
"I'm not sure I can be," said O'Brien. "Between your enemies, our enemies, and the Dominion, it's not going to be easy."  
  
"A lot of people would love to see us go to war with the Dominion, that's for sure, " Zack agreed. "Especially the SS exiles and the Cylons. Our fleet being more spread out means they can hit us easily again."  
  
"Still, with Odo and your Commander Richmond on the job, the talks should be safe," Bashir said.  
  
"I'll believe it when we get through them and actually have a peace," Tom muttered.  
  
  
  
  
DS9's Habitat Ring was built to house thousands in apartments ranging from grand suites to something akin to an Earth motel room. Even with the summit, several sections remained barely inhabited, and their apartments open for rent.  
  
In one such apartment, the renters waited in silence, clad in the dark suits they'd arrived in by various means and ships. They could almost be mistaken for statues with how motionless they were.  
  
The door slid open abruptly and two more figures entered, a man and a woman, both baseline Human. They were wearing traveling jackets, non-descript ones, that they quickly shed. The man revealed his splendid golden uniform, drawing the attention and awe of the others, while the woman was in dark leathers. A prod-like device was attached to her hip. All of those present knew what it was, and all rightfully feared its use.  
  
"All preparations are made?" asked the uniformed man.  
  
One of the dark-suited people nodded. "Yes, Lord Fayd-Taras. Our equipment is prepared, and we have the final intelligence. Everything is in order." The man looked at his golden-suited superior and the woman with him. "Our orders are confirmed then? He has given his final word?"  
  
"Yes," said Fayd-Taras "The decree is given. The Fates are with us."  
  
"The Fates are with us!" the assembled chorused in acceptance.  
  
At that moment, the woman glanced upward slightly, as if she'd heard something she didn't expect. But after several moments she returned her gaze firmly ahead, saying nothing to the others.  
  
And yet, she had good reason.  
  
Above their heads, in the quarters of the deck above, a man and a woman sat in quiet solitude and concentration. Each was clad in white robes and clothing, as if in contrast to those beneath their feet. In unison, their eyes opened and they shared an uneasy look.  
  
"She feels us," said the woman.  
  
"She does," agreed the man. "But we must not let that sway us from our duty. They must be stopped."  
  


** Undiscovered Frontier **  
_** "The Fury" ** _

  
Zack took the lead when the turbolift deposited Kaveri and Meridina with him in Station Operations on DS9. The circular chamber, the nerve center for the station, was being manned by various personnel from Starfleet and the Bajoran militia. In charge at the moment was Major Kira Nerys of Bajor. The red-headed Bajoran woman, wearing a red uniform, indicated the office for them. "Captain Sisko is ready to see you," she assured them.  
  
They stepped through to see Sisko reading a PADD held in one hand while the other gripped his beloved baseball. He looked up and gave them a warm, welcoming expression as he stood. "Commander Meridina, Commander Carrey, welcome back." Sisko's baritone voice was controlled as always. He focused on Kaveri. "And welcome to _Deep Space Nine_ , Captain Varma. I'm informed it is your first time visiting the station."  
  
"It is," she said amiably. "Although the circumstances are not as pleasant as they might have been."  
  
"Agreed. To business then." Sisko returned to his seat and prompted them to take chairs as well. "This summit may be our last chance to stop the Dominion build-up in Cardassia and the outbreak of war. The security of the summit is my main concern. I don't want any repeat of what happened last time."  
  
"We will provide you with all assistance required," Kaveri said, understanding what he meant. Meridina and Jarod had already informed her of the sabotage, and the Asari serial killer Morinth, that had disrupted the last diplomatic summit the _Aurora_ crew attended on Sisko's station. "These supply convoys the Dominion is sending, do you have a plan to interdict them?"  
  
"We're working on a solution," said Sisko. "And there's already a convoy preparing to come through the wormhole, although the Dominion is holding it back until the negotiations are over. A slight concession on their part."  
  
"Indeed." Kaveri nodded.  
  
Zack remained quiet while the two discussed the security arrangements further. Commander Phryne Richmond, the _Aurora_ 's Chief of Security, would work with Constable Odo and his station security forces. Robert and his Paladin Operations Team - Lucy Lucero, Talara, and Gina Inviere - would be involved as well.  
  
Once they finished the arrangements they moved to leave. "Commander, a moment?" Sisko asked. Kaveri looked to Zack and nodded before departing with Meridina, leaving Zack with the DS9 commander.  
  
Sisko's expression was somber. "I've heard about what happened on New Caprica," he said. "You have my deepest condolences."  
  
Zack nodded quietly and drew in a deep breath before saying, "Thank you, Captain."  
  
"I've been there myself," Sisko continued. "And it left me ready to walk away from everything. I'm not sure what I would have done if I didn't have Jake."  
  
"Yeah, that sounds familiar," Zack sighed. He gave Sisko an appreciative look. "It was kind of you to bring it up. Because I know it still hurts."  
  
"It does," admitted Sisko. He picked up the baseball from his desk and rotated it in his hand a few times. "How is Captain Andreys doing?"  
  
"Recovering," Zack replied. "They have her on mandatory medical leave right now."  
  
"I would expect that."  
  
"I expect she'd be going up a wall over it," Zack added, nearly snorting with amusement. "But she found another way to be her usual mother hen self."  
  
  
  
  
The training room in the Fire Nation Palace was silent. No words were shared between the two occupants as one followed the movements of the other. Only the slightest sound of quiet, careful breath could even possibly be heard.  
  
Julia led Miko through a final set of movements. Miko seemed to vibrate with energy, indicative of her nature as a martial artist, indeed as an individual. The careful forms of _t'ai chi_ were not in keeping with Miko's preference. But she diligently stuck to them through the last form. When it was done she pressed her fist to her palm and bowed in respect to the older woman.  
  
Julia answered the bow with one of her own, repeating the gesture. "You're making some progress, Miko," she assured her student.  
  
"Thank you, Sifu Julia," Miko answered. "You are everything I hoped for in a teacher." An excited look came to Miko's face. "And I'm looking forward to our trip."  
  
Julia nodded. They would be departing for New Liberty in a few days. Julia wanted to give help to the colony she'd helped to found as it recovered from the terrible attack of the SS exiles the prior month, the same attack in which she'd been taken prisoner.  
  
For all she'd endured as a captive, there was a silver lining in the otherwise dark cloud. Specifically, without that and the resulting ordeal, Julia would have never met Miko.  
  
"This New Liberty Colony sounds like such a fascinating place," Miko continued. "Like Republic City in its early history, with all of the cultures… I can't wait to see it."  
  
"It can be a sight," Julia agreed. "And they're still rebuilding. I'm wondering what they've changed…"  
  
The door to the room slid open. Seven individuals stepped in, five men and two women in elaborate robes and headdresses of red and gold. They were mostly older, even the youngest being at the cusp of middle age, and the central figure was a man of advanced age with age-whitened hair and beard and a few obvious liver spots. "Avatar Miko," he said, his voice full of reproach. "You were supposed to see us this morning."  
  
Julia glanced to Miko, unaware of said commitment. Miko responded to with a frown. "I received your message, yes, but I thought my silence made perfectly clear that I had no intention of being lectured by the Fire Sages for an hour. I had training to get to."  
  
"It is the matter of that training that we feel we must discuss," the Sage said. "Your training as the Avatar is too important a task."  
  
Julia nodded respectfully. "Is there an issue here, sir?"  
  
The Sage turned his head to face her. "We mean no disrespect to you, Julia Andreys, but…"  
  
"...but they want me to find another teacher," Miko finished for the elder, her voice hot with anger.  
  
"You need a Waterbender to teach you Waterbending," another of the Sages said. "Captain Andreys may understand the style of Waterbending, but she does not have the ability. She cannot train you."  
  
"Funny, because she's a better teacher for me than that miserable old man you sent me to before," Miko retorted. Her fists clenched. "I've made my decision, and I'm not changing it!"  
  
"Be reasonable, Miko. You place an unfair burden on Captain Andreys by making her responsible for teaching a talent she does not possess."  
  
It was a good point. Not that Julia had a chance to bring it up, as Miko immediately countered with, "Bending is not just about moving elements. She may not be able to Waterbend, but she moves, she fights, like a Waterbender. She's helping me to understand that without judging me like everyone else has." Miko's voice lost none of its fire, even as the volume went down. "It's a struggle for me, and she makes me feel like I can work through it."  
  
"That is not our only concern," the lead Sage said. "We have heard you plan to leave for another universe soon. We can hardly accept such a decision, especially given what happened the last time you left…"  
  
"I'm going to a world that's ready to fight off an attack this time."  
  
The youngest Sage spoke up with real heat in his voice. "A world in another universe. What if something were to happen to you?! The Avatar spirit could be lost to us!"  
  
"It wouldn't be. It would be able to come back," insisted Miko. "And I don't want to hear another word of this! I've made my decision!"  
  
"We will speak to the Fire Lord on this matter," the young Sage said, his voice making clear it was a threat as much as a promise.  
  
"Go ahead," Miko answered. "Do what you want, just leave me alone."  
  
With a deep sigh the lead Sage led his people out of the room. Julia set a hand on her shoulder. "They're just worried about you."  
  
"They're worried more about their authority," Miko said sullenly. She drew in a sigh. "I'd like some lunch. Would you mind joining me?"  
  
"Not at all," Julia said.  
  
  
  
  
The activity in Quark's wasn't letting up, giving Tra'dur quite a sight as Cat brought her up to the Dabo table. "It's a bit like roulette," she said. "You place bets on a specific slot, and when the wheels stop spinning, you check to see if the symbols for your slot have matching colors, shapes, or number of shapes. Depending on how many matches you have, you win something back."  
  
Tra'dur examined the shapes. Squares, triangles, and circular shapes were present, in three colors and in counts of one through three for those colors, although the innermost wheel had only non-colored symbols. There were other shapes that she assumed played into the game. She quickly crunched the probabilities in her mind and asked, "And if you manage to get overlapping matches? Say, three triangles from each wheel and the two outer wheels are both red…?"  
  
"The girl at the wheel shouts 'Dabo!' and you win the entire bet." Cat looked to the wheel and noticed that the Dabo girl this time was a new one, an Asari. A brief, instinctive shudder went through her, given what happened the last time she was on DS9.  
  
Tra'dur noticed it. "Cat'Delgado? What is wrong?"  
  
"Uh… nothing," Cat said, not very convincingly.  
  
Recognizing Cat's discomfort, Tra'dur decided to change the subject back to the game. "And the girl is there to look pretty and distract players?"  
  
"Well, yeah," Cat said. "Pretty much." She blushed a little. "And Quark hires some really pretty girls too."  
  
"I would imagine he does. So you wish to play…?"  
  
"Oh, we can go a few rounds. I've had some good luck playing this game. Not that I'm going to get rich off of it or anything." Cat's blush deepened. "To be honest, back when I was burying myself beneath the closet floorboard, I played because I enjoyed getting to be close to pretty girls without feeling self-conscious about how I was attracted to them. I mean, I still felt self-conscious about how puny and thin I was compared to them, but that's easier to deal with."  
  
"And now?"  
  
"Still a little self-conscious," Cat admitted. "But I've been learning to accept I'm just not the curvy type. Vee helped me with that. So…" She gestured to the table. "Want to play?"  
  
"I suppose a few rounds would not greatly hurt my bank account," Tra'dur conceded.  
  
Cat giggled at that and brought Tra'dur over to begin placing a bet on the next spin. The two watched the machine as its spinning approached a peak of activity.  
  
  
  
  
The DS9 security office hadn't changed any since Robert last saw it. He and Phryne Richmond sat side by side and faced Constable Odo at his desk. The station's security chief seemed a little different now, carrying himself more like a normal biped and not as the shape-shifting, naturally-liquid state being he actually was. His face still had its unique shape, the result of Odo's final attempts to emulate a humanoid face based on his Bajoran guardian Doctor Mora. "We have significantly improved our computer systems since the last time," Odo assured them.  
  
"I've read the report," said Richmond. Her voice was a refined one, her accent upper class Australian. In appearance she had skin as close to porcelain in tone as a Human could get, with intelligent green eyes and short-cut dark hair. "Given the consequences of that security breach, it is comforting to hear. And it would appear we are ready for any such disruptions this time."  
  
Robert thought darkly on that. They still had no idea what happened to Senator Kiang, if she'd been murdered or smuggled into Dominion space after her replacement by a Dominion Founder. It was small recompense that the same infiltrator ended up the key to developing the new technology to detect and disrupt Changelings in disguise.  
  
The unease Robert felt inside of himself intensified, and he immediately knew it wasn't from thinking about all of that. Something felt off, wrong.  
  
Odo noticed the slight change in Robert's expression. "Captain?" he asked. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I'm not sure. A… feeling I'm having, that something is wrong here," he said. "I can't describe it beyond that. Just a feeling of darkness and danger on the station."  
  
"I see. I am aware of your metaphysical talents, but you understand I can't do anything to secure against nebulous feelings?"  
  
"I know," Robert said. "If I can I'll tell you more, maybe we…"  
  
A tone filled the air. The voice of Commander Worf followed. " _Ops to Constable Odo_."  
  
Odo tapped the Bajoran commbadge he was wearing. "Odo here, Commander."  
  
" _A Dominion squadron has dropped from warp transmitting diplomatic codes. Their negotiating team has arrived._ "  
  
"I'll be in place with my security teams immediately, Commander. Thank you for the information. Odo out."  
  
Richmond and Robert stood as quickly as Odo did. Each had tasks to see to to secure the negotiation teams, and now it was time to implement them.  
  
  
  
  
The Cardassian vessel _Trager_ , a _Galor_ -class warship, was the vessel chosen to dock with DS9 and carry over the negotiation team. Sisko, Kira, and Kaveri joined the Alliance and Federation negotiators in coming to meet them, with Odo, Robert, and Lucy among the security personnel present. The long-time Councillor T'Latrek of Vulcan was present for the Federation, as severe and controlled as Robert remembered her being. General Martok - the _real_ Martok this time - was attending with a member of the Klingon High Council, Councillor Porag. For the Alliance Senator Tranu Talam, of the Alakin Union, was leading, joined by other Council members and professional diplomats that included Senator Pensley of the pacifist Tetzelian Republic. He showed no love for Robert at their exchange of glances.  
  
The great red wheel that acted as the inner airlock for the dock wheeled open, permitting several figures to exit. After a pair of Jem'Hadar and a pair of Cardassians stepped out, Robert and the others recognized Gul Dukat as the first official to emerge. Following him as a Vorta, one he sensed Sisko think of as "Weyoun", and after Weyoun a reserved figure in a light pink all-body suit. Given the facial structure Robert was certain it was a Founder.  
  
Whatever his feelings, Sisko was quick to speak. "Gul, Welcome back to _Deep Space Nine_."  
  
"Ah, Captain Sisko." Dukat's voice had a certain warmth to it, but Robert found it forced. "I am pleased you're keeping _Terok Nor_ in such good shape."  
  
"We have a meeting room already prepared," Sisko said, ignoring Dukat's use of the station's Cardassian name. "If you'll follow me."  
  
The tension in the air remained high even as Tranu and T'Latrek bowed their heads respectfully, getting a return gesture.  
  
The group moved on, led by Sisko, with station security and _Aurora_ Marines clearing the way ahead. Toward the rear, Robert and Lucy suddenly started glancing around their environs, as if they'd heard a noise. Odo noticed this, and the tension in their body language. "What is it?" he asked.  
  
"I'm, we're, not sure," Robert said.  
  
"I feel something. Dark, but there's no threat," Lucy said. "I can't tell where it's coming from."  
  
The look on Odo's face complemented the irritation both sensed in the Changeling, at the apparent uselessness of their abilities in this situation. Neither could much fault him for it, as they felt irritated and uncertain as well. They followed him without another word.  
  
A distance away, a figure clad in dark robes and suit looked at them with bemusement. Her ashen gray skin marked her a non-Human, but other than that she was very humanoid in appearance and general shape. After a moment's consideration she continued in another direction, preparing herself for what was to come.


	2. Chapter 2

The conference room on the station was set up with two tables facing each other across the middle of the room. The Federation, Klingon, and Alliance delegations sat together with the Dominion and Cardassians at the other table. Jem'Hadar and armed Cardassian guards stood behind the one table while Bajoran and Starfleet personnel stood around the other. Robert stood to the side with Richmond and Odo as part of the security contingent, although the _Aurora_ security and Marine personnel were mostly outside of the room.  
  
Whatever optimism Robert had about the talks quickly started to bleed away as the opening statements made clear the chilliness in the relations of the two sides. Weyoun took the main speaking role for the other delegation and quickly went into the continuing issue of the convoys. "The Dominion is well within its rights to maintain its current convoys into Cardassian space," he said. "Your own agreements with the Cardassian government, and others in this quadrant, have established the principle of innocent passage. Our convoys do not in any way violate this principle."  
  
"A principle the Dominion has not extended to our governments," T'Latrek pointed out. "You cannot claim the protection of a principle you do not hold yourself."  
  
"That was before the Cardassian Union elected to join the Dominion, and be our local representative to the people of the Alpha Quadrant," Weyoun answered. "We are prepared to assume full responsibility for the treaties signed by Cardassia. But we insist on the convoys being permitted through. You may, of course, scan the vessels to your leisure, to affirm their cargos…"  
  
"There are ways to fool such scans," Senator Talam said. "That is why my government insists on direct inspection."  
  
"Under the innocent passage agreements signed regarding access to the wormhole, you have no such right," Weyoun said. "And the Dominion will resist any attempt to compel direct inspection."  
  
"Then we are at an impasse," T'Latrek said. "We have information that your convoys are bearing war materials that are turning Cardassia into a massive armed depot, one capable of sustaining a Dominion war effort against this quadrant."  
  
"Any information you have received is clearly in error, Madame Councilwoman," Dukat said, speaking up. "The Dominion is primarily providing civilian goods and supplies to restore the Cardassian economy. The only military goods sent so far have been to rebuild our defensive perimeter after our war with your own allies, the Klingons." He gave a pointed look to General Martok and Councillor Porag.  
  
"A war your own new allies helped to provoke when they replaced me," Martok retorted.  
  
"From what I am aware, it took very little effort on their part to prompt it," Dukat said coldly. "And if you think we will let the Klingons or any other power steal our rightful territory again…"  
  
"We did not come to exchange threats of war," Pensley began. "We are here to figure out an amicable…"  
  
As Pensley spoke, naturally playing himself up as the peace-loving mediator, Robert considered his feeling that there was something else the Dominion was interested in. The convoys were not the central core of their concerns, as much as they swore otherwise. But as he listened, he could find no indication of what it was.  
  
Pensley's attempt to restore calm to the conference worked, mostly, with Weyoun thanking him and stating the Dominion's commitment to a peaceful resolution. A few more points of contention were raised, the border skirmishes being done so delicately, until the decision was made to end the session so both sides could consider one another's positions. The conference would resume in three hours' time.  
  
As everyone filed out, Sisko and Martok approached Robert and Odo. "You seem distracted," Sisko said to Robert. "What did you make of them?"  
  
"There's something else on their minds," Robert said. "Something they're more concerned about than the convoys or the borders. But they're not ready to bring it up."  
  
"What else is there to consider?" Martok asked, frustration in his voice. It was eerie that he sounded exactly like the imposter Martok Robert met on the last mission to DS9, although this Martok was missing an eye.  
  
"Whatever it is, the sense I got was it was something that they're almost afraid of," Robert said. "Maybe I'll get a better feel for it at the next meeting."  
  
"In the meantime, we should join the others," said Sisko. "We have a lot to discuss."  
  
  
  
  
With Kaveri and Meridina off for the talks on DS9, Jarod was left as the senior officer aboard. It was a familiar responsibility, if still not entirely welcome, and it necessitated that even his off-watch lunch be a working lunch so he could survey the status reports. Master Chief Rohm already had a ship-wide drill scheduled with Kaveri's signature, requiring Jarod to set up the details.  
  
So far his worries about how Kaveri would command the ship had not materialized. She was very much acting the caretaker for Julia, letting Meridina and Jarod maintain the command regimen Julia had established with little variation, save more consultations with Master Chief Rohm and his subordinates. A bemused thought came to mind. _Maybe this time we'll actually keep a Master Chief longer than six months_ , as he thought about the rotating position before. _Stasia would probably have preferred things this way. I wonder how she's doing on the_ Huáscar, _wherever they've gone off to…_  
  
He noted the shadow on the table and looked up in time to see Gina come to a stop at the other side of the table. Gina was wearing an assemblage of Gersallian clothing, suitable given she was a civilian (albeit a civilian member of Robert's Operations Team, so she was permitted to be armed, as evidenced by the lightsaber on her belt). "Commander Jarod, I didn't want to disturb you, but I could use some help." She held up a digital reader and some scraps of handwritten paper that, previously, she had been holding close to her chest.  
  
Jarod took the offerings while she spoke further. "The translations don't seem to make sense," she said. "I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong."  
  
"The syntax of the old High Gersallian can be tricky," Jarod said. "They hadn't yet absorbed influences from the regional languages." He glanced over the work. As he looked it over he found himself puzzled as well. The results seemed accurate, but they didn't mean anything. He handed it back to her. "I'm going to be busy until 1900 hours, but afterward I can come by and check some of your work. Will that be fine?"  
  
Gina nodded. "It will." She sat down and sighed. "I've learned a lot about Gersallian over the past few years, but it's hard doing this without the others. And they're busy on the station with these talks, so I'm alone on this."  
  
"I understand, I do," Jarod said. "And I know how important this is, so I'll be there when I can. In the meantime, you look like you could use a good lunch." He gestured toward Albert. "So let me get you one."  
  
  
  
  
In the ready office beside the bridge, Kaveri finished listening to Robert's report on the summit. Technically speaking she wasn't involved, as Tranu Talam was keeping the Alliance delegation as strictly civilian outside of the protective detail (likely as a sop to Pensley, who as always was suspicious of the Alliance military). But Robert was keeping her appraised anyway as a precautionary measure given the Dominion's history of deceptive behavior.  
  
If anything it was clear the Dominion couldn't be underestimated. Their arguments were, if self-serving, still accurate as to treaty rights. Kaveri wondered what they hoped to gain by offering to cease their own attacks on Alpha Quadrant ships that entered the Gamma Quadrant. Opening the way to unfettered reinforcements to Cardassia couldn't be the only thing they were after.  
  
The door chime sounded. Kaveri looked up, already certain of the new arrival. "Come in, Commander," she called out.  
  
The door slid open and Caterina entered. She was in her uniform, wearing the knee-length uniform skirt with the jacket and boots. She stood at attention. Kaveri was now used to the lack of a salute, even if it still grated instinctively given her long Earthforce service. "Captain, you wanted to see me, sir?" Cat inquired. Kaveri guessed she was not long returned from her shore liberty on the station.  
  
"Yes." Kaveri gestured to the chair in front of her. "At ease, and please, sit down, Commander."  
  
Cat did so quietly. She gave Kaveri a patient look once she was settled into the chair.  
  
Kaveri brought up the performance evaluations she'd reviewed with Chief Rohm and Commander Meridina. "Commander, I would like to discuss how things are going in the ship's Science Department."  
  
Caterina nodded. "Okay. Are there any projects you're wondering about?"  
  
"I see something here about Lab 3 taking up a greater allotment of computer processing time than they're usually permitted?"  
  
Cat nodded. "Doctor Ke'mani'pala and Lieutenant Patani are running simulations for the Layom Station Multispecies Disease Prevention Office."  
  
"What kind of simulation?"  
  
"It's a virus reported from the S2C3 universe. A government there…" Cat was clearly checking her memories before speaking again. "...the Umojans, they forwarded some samples of a highly dangerous biological agent connected to some species in their sector. 'Zarg' or something."  
  
"Presumably not the same zargs from my home universe?"  
  
"Actually, no, I think it's 'zerg'," Caterina corrected herself. She immediately added, "We don't have any samples aboard, of course. We're only running simulations based on the data they've provided us. I can get the reports if you want to know more."  
  
"That will be fine." Kaveri settled her hands on the desk. "Commander, how are the other projects in your department going?"  
  
"Well, fine, I guess." The young science officer seemed a little confused. "Nothing really of concern, Captain? We're still doing our share of analysis of that Ancient city-ship in N1C4, and the Darglan data found there. Lab 3 wants to see if that 'kohltou' stuff can be replicated, it outperforms medigel in terms of treating critical injuries. Lab 2 is examining reports we have on the shielding technology in A5R0 being based on quantum stasis principles. Tra'dur's astronomical research on pulsars is coming along, if you're worried about her work." Cat frowned. "But it can't be that, is it? I mean, I know she's Operations, but she's a scientist at heart and she's only using Lab resources on her off-time and I've signed off on it all…"  
  
Kaveri shook her head, smiling softly. "No, I am not worried about Lieutenant Tra'dur. It is you I am worried about, Commander."  
  
"Huh?" Cat's expression betrayed her confusion. "Why? What's wrong? Everything's going well…"  
  
"No, it is not." Kaveri shook her head. "Oh, your department is meeting its standards. On any other ship, under any other Chief Science Officer, I would have nothing to concern myself with. But you are not any other Chief Science Officer, Commander Delgado. You are the one who typically leads the fleet in project productivity and scientific papers produced."  
  
Cat lowered her eyes.  
  
Kaveri saw the discomfort on her face and continued. "Tra'dur would write home to her mother about you, how much she admired your devotion to scientific study and endeavor," Kaveri continued. "And your record bears that out. Last year you were even invited to attend a symposium at the Vulcan Science Academy as a guest speaker. From what I have read, you were the only speaker there who did not have a doctorate or more."  
  
"I… it was a subspace subject, one I've got a lot of practical experience and experimentation with," Cat answered.  
  
"But now I hear you are going to turn down the invitation for their next meeting," Kaveri said. "You were supposed to speak on these 'T'Vral Distortions' you found in the Fracture of S0T5. The invitation is clear that they want to hear from you."  
  
"Yeah. It's just… I'm not sure I have the time now, I'd have to take a leave from the ship and with everything going on…" Cat let her wording trail off. "I mean, what if there's another SS attack?"  
  
Kaveri pursed her lips. "Commander, while I applaud your concern for such an event, I am not going to let you deflect the matter. For the last three months your performance has declined. You used to be at the top of the fleet, now you are just meeting the fleet baseline. The entire Science Department on this ship is no longer meeting its old standard. And I want to know _why_."  
  
Cat swallowed. "It's just… I've had to make some adjustments lately. Personal adjustments."  
  
"Your girlfriend is on the _Huáscar_ now. I know." Kaveri shook her head. "And that is all? She is not around anymore so you are… what, giving up on things? Going through the motions?" Her tone was hard but not harsh as she spoke those words.  
  
"I…" Cat stopped before staying more, as if her words were caught in her throat. "It's a l-lot of th-things, Captain. I'l t-try to im-improve…"  
  
Even as Cat stammered through the sentence, Kaveri looked at the pain in the young woman's hazel eyes. She was haunted by something, something that was weighing on her, and Kaveri was bringing it out. She interlaced her fingers together on the desk and leaned toward Cat. "Commander Delgado…" Kaveri reconsidered that and went for another direction, as her tone notably softened. “I am not trying to find fault with you. When I say I am worried, it is not about your performance review or the ship's productivity rates. It is because I see a brilliant young woman who is a star in her field suddenly losing her light. I want to help you through this, whatever it is. I want you to be as brilliant as I know you can be."  
  
Caterina closed her eyes and nodded. "I'm… I'm working through something," she admitted. "Something I saw. Something I've had to live with recently."  
  
Kaveri's voice was softer, although not soft, when she asked, "Would you like to talk about it?"  
  
Immediately she could see Cat was interested in that. Cat bit into her lip for a moment before she asked, "Can you let me think about it?"  
  
"I can. Just do not keep me waiting too long, please," Kaveri asked kindly.  
  
"I won't," Cat promised. "Permission to be dismissed?"  
  
"Granted." Kaveri kept her pose as Cat stood, nodded in respect, and departed the office. _Tra'dur said she once put herself in front of a charging, blood-raged Krogan. What could have given her such fear?_  
  
  
  
  
With another practice session ended, Julia was on her way back to her room in one of the palace's many guest suites. She took that time to examine, and admire, the various works of art displayed on the walls of each hall. Portraits and tapestries going back centuries depicted the events of the Fire Nation's history.  
  
Outside of her room Julia stopped to give a closer look to one of the tapestries. It reminded her of textbook pictures of pre-industrial Japanese art, in this case depicting two dragons blowing multi-colored flames into a swirling vortex alive with colors.  
  
"You have an appreciation of our art?"  
  
Julia turned her head. Near her door, the aged leader of the Fire Sages was waiting, hunched over slightly but otherwise looking fine. "I'm not really an art critic," Julia said. "But this does look lovely. Does this species actually exist on your world?"  
  
"Yes. The dragons taught our ancestors how to wield fire, and the most worthy Firebenders go on pilgrimages to see them."  
  
"Including Avatars?"  
  
"Eventually."  
  
Julia noted the look on his face. "You're here to talk me into quitting, aren't you?"  
  
The old man nodded. "I do not doubt your sincerity, Captain Andreys. Perhaps if you were born on our world, you might have been a bender yourself, and I would have no objection. But it seems these arts are unique to this world's people." The Sage bowed his head. "The Avatar must master all four elements to be in balance within. You can teach your style to Miko, yes, but without having Waterbending of your own, I fear you lack the understanding to teach her properly."  
  
Julia didn't argue that point. It was her own concern after all. "You're right that I can't teach the metaphysical side of whatever this is, only the style as I know it. And I talked to Miko about it. But she made her choice anyway, and I owe her the opportunity." Julia shook her head. "If Miko changes her mind, that's fine, I'll quit. I won't wish her any ill will. But that's in her hands, not mine."  
  
The elderly man sighed and nodded. "I had hoped you might quit on your own."  
  
"Miko deserves more from me than that," replied Julia.  
  
"I see. I cannot fault you for your loyalty, at least. Be at peace with the spirits, Captain. Good day." The old man walked away.  
  
  
  
  
In their quarters on the station, the white-robed figures sat quietly. Their minds remain linked, as always, allowing them to sense for danger and have a quiet discussion.  
  
 _We must act, soon. Before the Adversary's minions make their move_.  
  
The woman responded with a shake of the head. _I do not disagree, but we must be careful in how we approach them. They may not trust us. They know so little about who we are._  
  
Frustration was the reaction. _Because we do not come to them, do not explain who we are. If they knew…  
  
Some of them do not trust psions. And they may see us as just another faction of the Fracture._ The woman's thoughts, considerations, filled his mind. _If we go to one of the Forcefuls, perhaps. They will understand us. But they are all so busy with the summit I fear we would be prevented from meeting them.  
  
We should just present ourselves to them now!_ He shook his head again. _We are too used to the needs of secrecy, if you ask me. We worry too much about the need to hide from the Ministry that we let it influence our decisions.  
  
It is how we have survived for millennia_, the woman cast back. She stood. _Either way, we should go to the station's commercial area. We may find an opening there._  
  
There was agreement from the man, who stood with her. They stepped to the door. Just as he hit the button to open it, the woman called out _No!_ mentally.  
  
She was a moment too late.  
  
The door slid open, and a woman in dark leather was waiting. Her arm shot forward and pressed a prod against the man's midsection. His clothing was no protection from the device, which caused him such pain that he screamed and doubled over. His compatriot took a step back and reached out with her mind, seeking to grapple the attacker. But her foe's mental defenses were ready. Her attack probes failed before those defenses. Before the absolute certainty within them, the certainty of superiority, of purpose, so like her own.  
  
"Nice try, Magi," the leather-clad woman said simply before lunging forward. She moved with great speed and the white-robed woman barely evaded the strike. Unfortunately, the evasion carried her further into her room, and away from her only escape. She didn't have long; her foe would have backup coming, that she was certain of.  
  
"Go!" screamed her compatriot. Despite the debilitating agony he forced himself up enough to tackle their foe. "Go now!"  
  
There was a moment when she nearly didn't. When she decided to stay, to not abandon her compatriot. But the need of the situation overrode that. If both were captured, their mission would come to naught, and the Adversary would prevail. She rushed for the open door and turned down the hall. When an armed man stepped into her path her mind lashed out, broke through his mental defenses, and seized his motor controls, forcing his legs to give out from under him before he could attack.  
  
Behind her, she heard her comrade scream in agony. He was at their foe's non-existent mercy. And now, she was his only hope.  
  
She had to get help. It was the only way.  
  
  
  
  
Outside of the conference room and its returning delegates, Robert, Lucy, and Talara felt the distant shadow of intense pain. They looked to each other in concern. Each now knew the other sensed it as well. Something terrible was happening.  
  
"The next session is about to begin," Lucy said. "What do you want us to do?"  
  
Given the nebulous feelings he'd been feeling since coming to DS9, Robert quickly made his choice. "Investigate it, both of you," he said. "I'll continue on watch here.  
  
His compatriots nodded and departed.  
  
  
  
  
The Replimat was not a restaurant so much as an open, replicator-served cafe. It was the closest thing the station had to the kind of cozy, romantic cafe one might ordinarily bring a lover to. This is why Angel picked it for the meal she and her lover Tony Zah were having while on liberty. Both were in standard uniforms, much to their regret, as they rather enjoyed showing off the fruits of their physical training regimens (particularly to one another). Before them were replicated meals, tamales and enchiladas respectively. Underneath the table Angel's foot playfully slid around Tony's, and he grinned at her. "You look like you're already looking forward to getting back to your quarters when we beam back," he said.  
  
"Oh, I am, but I like to build anticipation."  
  
"Well, I'm just glad I'm not on the station rotation for this evening. I'm not so lucky tomorrow."  
  
"They'll have you standing watch with the summit?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, at least the other dignitaries are staying on their ships," Angel said. 'Given what happened the last time…"  
  
Motion nearby drew their attention to new arrivals. Angel recognized Worf and the Trill science officer of the station, standing together and looking for an open table. "Hey, Worf, you can join us if you want," she called out.  
  
The big Klingon turned to them, as did the Trill lady. Angel recalled that her name was Dax at that point. "Ah. You have my thanks," he said.  
  
"Mine too," added Dax. Each had a plate of Human-style food. "I'm surprised to see it so busy."  
  
"Well, a lot of our crew are taking brief liberty periods to visit DS9," Angel said. "So everyone's somewhere."  
  
"It's nice to see the station so busy these days, ever since the Dominion took over in Cardassia the station's been quieter than usual."  
  
"I consider that a good thing," Worf said aloud. He looked to Tony. "Lieutenant."  
  
"Lieutenant Tony Zah, Commander," he answered. "An honor to meet you. Angel showed me that calisthenics program you left her."  
  
Worf glanced to Angel, as did Dax. Angel grinned slightly. "Tony's a good fighter and I wanted extra practice," she answered.  
  
"So you two…"  
  
"...are together? Yeah," she finished for Dax.  
  
"I see." Worf looked back to Tony. "I do not recall you from my time on the _Aurora_."  
  
"I wasn't assigned until a few months ago," Tony replied. "But I'm aware of what you did for them. A lot of people in the crew remember Gamma Piratus. Those left from then, anyway."  
  
"So, I'm getting a vibe from you two," Angel said, looking from Worf to Dax. "Are you…"  
  
"We are," Worf said simply.  
  
"Oh, nice," Tony said. "So this is becoming a double date."  
  
Worf's reply was immediate. "No, it is not."  
  
Dax chuckled. "Worf's not the type."  
  
Angel's grin was a wry one. "Tell me about it."  
  
Worf ignored that part of the conversation while taking a bite of food. When he was finished he said, "I heard about the attack on the colony you founded. I am pleased to know that you fought the enemy off."  
  
"At cost," Angel said. "But yeah."  
  
"It seems everyone's reeling from what happened," said Dax. "Starfleet's put all of our defensive installations on high alert ever since confirmation of the attacks."  
  
"It's been done across the Multiverse," Angel notes. "I think even people who stayed out of the war are worried the SS will target them too. I guess this is the dark side of our technology. The idea that someone can just pop in out of nowhere and blow you to kingdom come."  
  
"We'll get them in the end," Tony said. "Over something like this, against enemies like that, you don't stop until the job's done."  
  
"Agreed," said Worf.  
  
Everyone turned their attention back to their food, but their enjoyment of their meal barely lasted five seconds. "Pardon me," a female voice said, her English accented finely.  
  
They turned their attention to the source, a red-haired woman wearing a white robe. "Uh, yeah?" Angel asked pointedly.  
  
"I'm sorry for interrupting your meal, but my need is urgent," she said. "My name is Pallina Tormayama. I am a Magi of the Sophia, and your comrades at the summit are in terrible danger."  
  
  
  
  
The next summit session began as the last one ended, with the discussion on the Dominion convoys stuck firmly in the mud. Neither side would give, could give really, and it made Robert's heart ache. _We've only had a few months of peace. Now it looks like war's going to break out again._  
  
Pensley was trying again to persuade the Dominion to yield a little, promising extensive aid to Cardassia and the prospect of bilateral arms reductions that made everyone else on his side of the table scowl. "There is no point in conflict between our peoples," he said, looking directly at the Founder. "A peaceful galaxy is an orderly one."  
  
"We see no point in conflict as well, but we have obligations," Weyoun said in reply. As if none of them were worthy of being addressed by the Founder. "Surely your Alliance understands such obligations. You've taken on many worlds to protect in the other universes, you wouldn't allow people to dictate how you protected them, would you?"  
  
Through it all Robert continued to sense an element of deception, from Weyoun and the Founder at least. This was not what they were actually concerned with.  
  
 _This is going to continue to go nowhere until we get to what they really want_ , Robert thought. He waited until Weyoun ceased speaking again before looking directly at the Founder and asking, "Founder, I can tell you have something else you're concerned with, not these convoy matters, and you're really worried about it."  
  
"You're out of line, Captain!" Pensley shouted. The anger in his eyes belied the pacific mood he'd shown so far. "You have no place to speak here and I won't have you derailing these negotiations for your own purposes!"  
  
Senator Talam gave Pensley an unkind look, but it was T'Latrek who spoke up. "While Captain Dale's status to speak is questionable, his question is pertinent, and I extend it myself. The principles on which the Dominion is currently standing are not consistent with its previous behavior. That implies a motivation they have as yet refused to divulge."  
  
Robert said nothing, recognizing T'Latrek's point about his not being a recognized delegate, but grateful that she'd still defended what he said. He hoped the Dominion would respond.  
  
The initial response he got was a dark look from the Founder. Then, without a word from Weyoun, the being spoke. "Very well then. The Founders are always skeptical of solids speaking peace, so we were testing your flexibility before getting to the real matter. We have only one term that must be settled to our satisfaction to guarantee peace."  
  
"We are ready to hear you," said Senator Talam.  
  
"The Dominion is aware of your devices meant to detect us and destabilize our forms," the Founder said. "If you want permanent peace, you must eliminate these devices, _immediately_ , and pledge to never build them again."


	3. Chapter 3

The Founder's demand hung in the air. For a moment nothing was said. Robert shared glances with some of the others, including Sisko. Sisko in particular wasn't surprised, but he was clearly not happy over it.  
  
The Dominion posed a threat in a number of ways. It had advanced, capable technology, with its polaron weapons capable of bypassing most standard deflector shield systems. The Jem'Hadar were a ruthless slave race bred only for combat, making them dangerous foes. The Vorta knew well how to manipulate diplomatic and economic situations to the Dominion's advantage. But the greatest threat of them all were the Founders themselves. Not only could they shapeshift, but most scanning methods couldn't discern a real object from a Changeling masquerading as one. With their shapeshifting abilities they were the ultimate infiltrators.  
  
Every power at the table learned that the hard way, too. The Founder infiltrators stirred latent Federation-Klingon differences into conflict and all-out war. They bombed a diplomatic summit on Earth and, just by their presence, nearly provoked a militarist takeover of Starfleet and the Federation. They'd nearly provoked a war between the Federation and the Tsen'kethi beforehand, and even earlier, they'd sabotaged one of Robert's most crucial missions, the investigation into a Darglan base in the S4W8 system of 33LA. The result had certainly accelerated the Alliance's descent into war with the Greater German Reich of that universe, a war that cost millions of Alliance dead, thousands of starships from the Alliance fleets and those of its allies, and lingered on in the SS Exiles' use of interuniversal technology to continue to operate across the Multiverse.  
  
They'd caused some of that damage too, replacing Alliance Senator Kiang and using her position to send sensitive data to the Reich, leading to a disastrous ambush that nearly cost Robert and his friends their lives. Then the imposter Kiang nearly ripped the Alliance apart in civil war by supporting Gersallian Dissenter militants in an attack on the Alliance Senate.  
  
And now the Dominion wanted them to get rid of the only defense they had against those infiltrators.  
  
"You are undoubtedly aware of the damages your fellow Founders have caused to the three governments we represent," T'Latrek said, her Vulcan calm edged with what Robert thought was a measure of disgust. "You are now insisting we open ourselves to further such attacks."  
  
"These devices do more than detect us," the Founder replied. "They distort our cells and inflict terrible pain. You say you use them for defense, but you could also use them to torture us. To kill us, even, with prolonged exposure."  
  
"We would not use them in this fashion," Talam said. "It would violate all manners of laws."  
  
"It is our experience that solids care little for any law if it gets in the way of what they want," retorted the Founder. "We will not tolerate their existence, much less their use. Not only could you use them against us yourselves, you might spread them to other species and cultures." The Founder's voice softened. "We are not unreasonable. Given the importance of this matter to us, we are prepared to make many concessions to the powers of the Alpha Quadrant."  
  
Naturally it was Pensley who seized the offered lifeline. "Such as?"  
  
Without a trace of reservation, the Founder answered, "We would be willing to withdraw from Cardassia and limit ourselves to the Gamma Quadrant."  
  
That brought a number of stunned faces and, Robert noted, a very horrified expression from Gul Dukat.  
  
  
  
  
With all of the speed they could muster Lucy and Talara raced through the dark corridors of the Habitat Ring. Both felt distant sensations of intense pain, the type that only came from deliberate torture. But it was vague and they couldn't sense the central location, only the sense that it wasn't where they were heading.  
  
They felt a pull toward one set of quarters. The door was unlocked. Inside they found that the quarters in question were empty of all but furnishings, some of which were out of place. A chair and a table were knocked over.  
  
"Someone was taken from here. In pain," Talara said. Her sensitivity ran toward feeling such echoes.  
  
"We'd better alert Constable Odo. Whether or not this has anything to do with the peace talks…"  
  
A blue light came alive over the back of Lucy's left hand. Her omnitool was receiving an incoming call. She used her right finger to tap the light. "Lucero here, go ahead."  
  
" _Lieutenant, I'm in Station Security_ ," said Angel. " _And there's someone here you need to see._ "  
  
  
  
  
Lucy and Talara arrived to find Odo's security office was already near to capacity. Aside from the taciturn chief of station security and Angel herself, Lucy noticed Lt. Tony Zah of the _Aurora_ 's security department, Commander Richmond herself, Commander Worf, and Commander Dax.  
  
Finally, near Odo's desk was a white-robed woman. She had an oval-shaped face and there was a hint of South Asian ancestry in her facial structure while her complexion was as light as Dax's. She had a similar shape to Dax as well while not quite matching her height, and her hair was a solid, brilliant red in color.  
  
"This is Pallina Tormayama," Odo said to them once the door was closed. "She's here to report a threat to the summit."  
  
Lucy could feel the power in Pallina' mind. She didn't have sensitivity to the Flow of Life as Lucy and Talara did, but she was a capable telepath, Lucy believed.  
  
Pallina nodded to her. _I am, Lucilla Lucero._ Aloud she said, "I need your help. They're here to attack your conference and they've got my brother."  
  
"Who?" asked Worf. "The Romulans?"  
  
"No. The Ministry of Fate, the rulers of NEUROM."  
  
Odo and the two Starfleet officers showed no emotional reaction, and Tony only had a flicker of recognition. But Lucy and Angel exchanged dark looks while Talara was clearly upset to hear of them. "I've never heard of this 'NEUROM'," Odo said.  
  
"I recall several references to them in Multiversal threat assessment reports," Worf said. "They are an alliance of states from the S0T5 universe."  
  
"And they're all bastards," Angel hissed. "Back on Solaris they tried to kidnap Julia and Zack and nearly killed us."  
  
"And they attacked us trying to take the _Castle of Lions_ ," Talara added.  
  
Sensing the Starfleeters and Odo were still a little at sea, Lucy said, "They're an alliance of authoritarian and totalitarian states inside of what's called the Fracture, a region of damaged space in the S0T5 universe. We've had a few run-ins with them."  
  
"So we have heard," said Pallina.  
  
"And what are you? Aurigan?"  
  
She shook her head. "No. I am from one of the remaining independent worlds of the Fracture. And I know of them because they are my order's greatest foe."  
  
"What order is that?" Lucy asked.  
  
"I am a Councillor Magi." Expecting them to not understand, Pallina immediately went into an explanation. "Millennia ago, in the horror and chaos of the Reignfall, my order was established by a woman we know as the Sophia. She was a powerful telepath, descended from one of the leaders of the Earthreign itself."  
  
"Who were not very nice people," Lucy remarked.  
  
"No, they weren't," Pallina agreed. "If you know of the Fracture, you know that its instability has a psionic component that can afflict all who dwell within."  
  
"I remember," Lucy said, blanching at thinking of the nausea and illness being in the Fracture caused her.  
  
Pallina nodded, sensing that memory of illness. "The Sophia believed in calming the danger through benevolence and freedom. Make lives better and the fears that fueled the horrors of the Fracture would go away. But she had a great rival, a being that we today know very little of. He was known, _is_ known, as the All-Father."  
  
"What, like in Odin? The Norse god?" asked Angel.  
  
"I am unfamiliar with that allusion," Pallina said. "The All-Father is also a powerful psion. And he preached control and fear. That the chaos of the Fracture could be harnessed with control and powered by deliberate fear. To enforce his will he formed the Ministry of Fate with the mission to turn every psion into an agent of his will. They brought together the initial members of NEUROM and to this day are the secret rulers of the organization."  
  
"Sounds like a bastard," Angel suggested. "So what's going on here?"  
  
"The Ministry of Fate is targeting your summit," Pallina said. "We do not know why. My order dispatched myself and my brother Ignatus to warn you and help you in stopping them. But they have taken him and nearly taken me. Now…" She closed her eyes as tears formed. "...even now, I feel his agony. The Ministry is hurting him. As they would me if they'd taken me."  
  
"We thank you for the warning," Richmond said. "Constable, it's your station."  
  
Odo nodded. "I'll mobilize all of my security teams. I request your help."  
  
"You'll have it."  
  
"That leaves her brother," Lucy said. "Nobody's in their quarters, we found them on our own."  
  
"Then we will have to locate him," Pallina said. "Before the Ministry can kill him."  
  
  
  
  
In the wardroom set aside for their private delegations, the Alliance, Federation, and Klingon delegates found themselves discussing the prickly issue of the Dominion's principle demand.  
  
"They have solid justification," Pensley argued. "This device clearly affects them physiologically. If it inflicts harm we have a moral duty to suspend its use."  
  
When nobody else did, Robert raised the obvious counter-point. "Senator, you're talking about giving up our only means to detect and stop them. Given the damages—"  
  
He didn't get to finish. Pensley's voice roared in fury. "I have had enough of your meddling! Don't think I don't know what you're really after! You want these talks to fail! You want to provoke a war with the Dominion so you can destroy them too! Aren't the millions of dead from the last war you started enough for you?! Well, they're more than enough for my people! If you drag the Alliance into another war, the Tetzelian Republic will not participate! We will withdraw from your cursed Alliance and leave you to drown in the blood you're spilling, and I'll make damn sure history records your name as the man who's caused it!"  
  
Robert let Pensley finish his tirade without another word. He knew there was nothing he could say to convince the Tetzelian Senator he wasn't the aggressive, war-seeking, government-toppling radical that Pensley thought him to be. He wouldn't let Pensley's attitude about him divert the others.  
  
"This exchange serves no logical purpose," T'Latrek said.  
  
"On the contrary, Councillor, it serves a great purpose," Pensley countered. "It is reminding this bloody-handed radical militant that he can't keep dragging the Alliance into wars to fulfill his radical agenda of destroying governments that displease him!"  
  
T'Latrek fixed an icy stare at Pensley that would have chilled anyone into silence. "Senator, I do not presume to comment upon internal Alliance politics, it would be a violation of Federation principle to do so. So I will not allow our common efforts to be diverted by them."  
  
"The Klingon Empire is in agreement," Councillor Potag added. "The Dominion threat is more important than your feud."  
  
Pensley huffed and glared at the silent Robert, but at a similar glare from Tranu Talam, he submitted.  
  
"We should not rush to judgement. The Dominion term must be considered logically, not accepted or rejected in haste," T'Latrek insisted. "If we can secure a withdrawal of the Dominion from Cardassia, much of the potential for conflict will abate."  
  
"That much is true," Talam agreed. "It may be worth the cost to provide us time to deal with the lingering SS threat. But the loss in security from giving up the technology is a grave cost. The Senate remembers what the Changeling who replaced Kiang did, and ratifying an agreement to leave the Alliance vulnerable to another attack like that will not be easy…"  
  
Robert, who was thinking the Dominion term was entirely self-serving and ridiculous, was in complete agreement with that part. But he said nothing. It wasn't his job, after all, and he wasn't giving Pensley another opening to verbally abuse him. He remained silent and tried to think of other things. Ultimately his mind turned to Julia and his hope for her recovery.  
  
  
  
  
As was usual, Julia was invited by Miko's uncle, Fire Lord Daizon, to join the royal family for a meal. She accepted and prepared herself for the hot dishes and foods that were staples of the Fire Nation's cuisine. Their dishes reminded her of Indian and Thai food she'd tried over her lifetime. And she was developing a slight affection for fire flakes, as if her palate was rebelling against her usual preference.  
  
Daizon, his wife, his daughter and heiress Crown Princess Kina, her husband and children, were just one section of the family. A couple of Ursa's siblings and their offspring were around as well, as were Daizon's younger children and related offspring.  
  
Miko still enjoyed a seat close to Daizon, in a place of honor, with Julia given the one beside her. Julia thought a few members of the family were not entirely happy with these arrangements, although she wasn't sure how many of them were against her presence itself or simply not liking the preference showed to Miko.  
  
With much of the meal consumed Daizon signaled that conversation could begin by asking his youngest child, a son, how his education was going. The young man looked to only be a few years younger than Miko and gave an answer about his continuing course studies at Sato Polytechnic Institute in the United Republic.  
  
Once this answer was given Daizon's second-eldest child, Prince Tenzo, looked toward Miko and asked, "Cousin, how is your training going now?"  
  
All eyes turned toward Miko.  
  
Julia waited for Miko to answer, knowing how self-conscious she was about it, and how angry she was with the Fire Sages' constant complaints. Miko, for her part, finished swallowing what she'd been chewing and took a drink. Finally she looked toward Tenzo and said, "I'm making some progress. The style's not an easy one for me. But thanks to Sifu Julia, I'm adjusting to it."  
  
Tenzo was satisfied. Then her Uncle Tzen, Ursa's older brother, openly said, "Perhaps you will find it easier to progress if you took in a Waterbender as your second trainer?" Miko's eyes turned to her uncle. She was looking away from Julia, keeping Julia from seeing her, but she could see Miko was upset given her body language. Tzen continued, apparently not realizing or not caring how Miko took his suggestion. "A Waterbender could help you apply Captain Andreys' teachings to your bending."  
  
Julia considered voicing agreement with the idea, but given the feelings she saw in Miko she remained quiet. Miko's response had to come first.  
  
When it came, it was with clear anger. "A second trainer would only disturb my training," she insisted. "It's not necessary and I'm fully confident that as my training continues I'll start to Waterbend. I only wish my family and everyone else had as much confidence in me!"  
  
"I'm just…"  
  
"No, Uncle, you're not just making an idle suggestion," Miko said hotly. "You're questioning my decisions just like the Sages are!"  
  
"He has a point, cousin," said one of the others. "Captain Andreys may know the style, but if she can't Waterbend, she can't show you how to. Having a second teacher…"  
  
Miko stood and bowed to her grand-uncle. "Fire Lord, I wish to be excused." Her voice lost none of its heat.  
  
Daizon could have ordered her to stay, but he recognized it would lead to nothing constructive. He nodded to her, allowing Miko to depart, her meal mostly done but not quite finished. She stomped out of the room.  
  
"Uncle, I too wish to depart," said Ursa. She couldn't rise given the injury she'd sustained rescuing Miko. As soon as Daizon nodded she did so. "I will help her, enjoy your meal," she whispered quickly to Julia as her hover-chair moved by.  
  
Julia nodded and returned to what was left of her meal, listening as the family very firmly discussed other matters.  
  
  
  
  
Ursa found Miko on one of the balconies on an upper floor of the palace. It gave her, and Ursa, a view of the Fire Nation's capital city. It was the world's third-largest city now, only surpassed by Republic City itself and Ba Sing Se, the great metropolis of the Earth Union. "They mean well," she said softly.  
  
"Maybe. But I'm tired of being questioned," Miko replied.  
  
"I understand that, and it's why I'm not. I know how important it is that you make your own path." Ursa pulled up beside her and put her hand on Miko's. "I trust you, Miko."  
  
Miko faced her mother with gratitude. "I know this will work," she said. "I _am_ getting better at it." Slowly, the gratitude faded from her expression. "Be honest, mother, are you saying these things because you believe I'm right, or because you don't want to fight with me?"  
  
"I don't want to fight with you, true," Ursa admitted. "The last time we argued, you left for the frontier, and I almost lost you from it. And I never want that to happen again." She nodded. "But that's not all. I've seen the potential in you, my little sun. The potential to be a great Avatar, and in one of our most important moments as a people now that the Multiverse is known."  
  
Ursa's gentle worlds soothed Miko's spirit and calmed her doubts. "Thank you," Miko said quietly. "Are you okay with my plans, then?"  
  
"To travel with Captain Andreys to one of her worlds?" Ursa nodded. "I'm always going to be worried about you, little sun, so there's a part of me that will always want you here. But I know this is important to you and I won't stand in your way."  
  
Initially Miko's response was quiet. She turned to her mother and bent over to hug Ursa tightly in silent thanks.  
  
  
  
  
The screens in Odo's office showed the result of another internal scan. Said result was negative and he said as much to the others. Pallina shook her head. "NEUROM has some of the most advanced technology in the Multiverse, and the Ministry of Fate in particular has access to it."  
  
"It wouldn't be the first time the station's internal sensors have been tricked," Odo admitted, although there was still a bit of skepticism evident in his voice. "However, you must understand that this station has a lot of ground to cover if we're to do a search. I don't have the manpower for such a search currently."  
  
"The summit must still be our priority," Worf concurred.  
  
Angel looked up from her omnitool. "Robert's getting my message about a possible attack now."  
  
"And my brother?"  
  
To Pallina's question, Lucy said, "Talara and I might be able to help. You feel him right now, right?"  
  
"I do." She nodded, still a little pale.  
  
"Then we'll use that." Lucy sat on the floor and Talara did likewise. Pallina joined them and extended her hands, allowing each to take one. "Concentrate on that connection, even though it hurts."  
  
Pallina nodded and closed her eyes. She felt Ignatus' pain in the core of her being and, painful as it was to her, concentrated on it. Her brother's life was on the line. She had to save him.  
  
Talara's sensitivity and natural empathy made her the first to feel Pallina's link to Ignatus. She grimaced at the sensation of pain. Lucy felt that and soothed her. While neither of them were telepaths, they shared a bond through the Flow of Life that was just as potent as a telepathic bond between siblings. With Lucy's aid, Talara did the same for Pallina, who was already crying softly for her brother's suffering. _Sense his surroundings_ , Lucy urged. _Understand where he is._  
  
Pallina did. She connected to her brother's senses. There was a stale quality to the air. Containers were around him and his captors. One was a man in a great golden uniform and the other…  
  
Lucy recognized it. _One of the Ministry's agents, like the one on Solaris_. She didn't sense a connection to the Flow of Life in this one, however, merely a strong telepathic capability.  
  
Strong enough to sense the connection.  
  
Both sensitives knew the woman in black would lash out, and both tried to get a feel for where Ignatus was in the moments before it came. The woman's pain-giving prod pressed against Ignatus' midsection with agonizing results. His scream rippled through the connection, the pain with, and Pallina cried out from the same. For her it was so real that she doubled over from it, as if she were the one suffering. Lucy and Talara didn't suffer quite the same. They felt the pain at a remove and kept their focus on trying to get more details on where Ignatus was.  
  
Then the connection was gone. The three looked up, Pallina in the worst shape.  
  
"What happened?" Dax asked.  
  
"They've got telepaths," Lucy said, her voice a little hoarse. "They sensed what we were doing and struck at her brother. I'm betting he's unconscious."  
  
"I could feel their malevolence," Talara whimpered. "Their cruelty. They _enjoy_ hurting him."  
  
"They hate us," rasped Pallina, all of the color gone from her face. "They hate us like nothing else."  
  
"And we'll punch them later for it," Angel promised. "But did you see anything?"  
  
"It was a cargo bay, I'm pretty sure of that," Lucy said. "One of your interior ones."  
  
"We have several," said Worf.  
  
"I felt something from Ignatus." Talara shook her head. Her eyes, with the lavender-colored point in the iris, seemed to be trying to focus on something. "Not from his sight, but his other senses. The air was… wrong."  
  
"In what way?" asked Odo.  
  
Lucy realized what she meant. "Stale," she said. "Like the local air recirculators aren't working right."  
  
"Well, that narrows it down." Dax looked from Odo to Worf. "Didn't the Chief say that the life support systems in Pylon 4 were acting up?"  
  
"He did," Worf said. "He will see to the repairs soon."  
  
That led Lucy to ask, "How many cargo bays are in Pylon 4?"  
  
"Two are in that area," answered Jadzia.  
  
"Then we should send security to both," Richmond said.  
  
"Agreed. We'll need a few minutes to put a team together."  
  
"And the summit?" asked Lucy as she stood up. Talara did the same, helping Pallina as she did.  
  
Odo stood from his chair. "I'll join them to provide extra security."  
  
"Commander Dax and I will inform Captain Sisko and observe from Ops," Worf added.  
  
"Then we'll handle the search too," said Lucy. She looked to Angel and her boyfriend. "You two should probably get back to the ship. Captain Kaveri may put the _Aurora_ on alert over this."  
  
Angel nodded in agreement. "Good luck."  
  
  
  
  
Silence filled Caterina's quarters, save the gentle beeping as she worked the controls of the computer unit on her desk. The screen showed the response from the Alliance Stellar Navy's interuniversal comm network.  
  
 _Recipient not in standard communication range._  
  
Cat pursed her lips at that. Violeta's last message affirmed they were going on an extended long-range mission, but it was hard to imagine they'd go so far outside of standard spatial aspect range for the Alliance's IU network. Even the M4P2 transceivers couldn't contact the _Huáscar_ , meaning it was heading somewhere far off the Relay network.  
  
 _It's not like she's your girlfriend anymore,_ Cat thought bitterly. The two had it as more of a "quasi" status: if they ever had the opportunity to spend time together again they'd try, but both were open to find new relationships if they wanted.  
  
Which wasn't what Cat wanted, really, but she understood why it came up. Not only was it something Sirians tended to do in their situations, but the Multiverse was a big place, and the _Huáscar_ was part of the Explorer Squadron: Vee's ship could be gone for weeks, months, from Alliance space, and the odds of frequently meeting were extremely low. It wasn't fair to either of them if something better came along.  
  
Captain Varma's words came back to her. The more Cat examined her recent performance, the more she could see how badly she'd slipped. She had barely any papers being readied. Her simulations and experimental models were being left alone. She just… she wasn't finding the same spark she used to. Of course the others noticed that. Julia would have eventually called her in, if she were still here.  
  
 _You know why_. _It's not just losing Vee. It's those memories_.  
  
Just thinking about them brought it back vividly. The wrecked remains of the _Aurora_ from some point in the near future, hurtling toward an innocent planet. Finding her friends, her family, and herself dead on the airless bridge. Those pallid faces with dull eyes came to Cat again.  
  
The Doctor called it a "might-be", not a "will-be". That thought saved her from a deep sense of despair. She almost couldn't get the thought out of her head that they'd meet their end like that.  
  
 _Be honest with yourself, Cat_ , she scolded herself, using her mother's voice. _That's why you're giving up on your science. You're scared there's no point. You think everyone's going to die anyway_.  
  
The worst part was… how could she explain it to anyone? Either she'd sound crazy, or they'd believe her… and then they'd have to carry that burden too. That horrible thought that they might all be doomed.  
  
 _If I share it, I either look nuts, or I hurt people. If I don't share it… I'm going to lose it_. The dilemma faced her and she couldn't hide from it anymore. She had to make her choice.  
  
Blue light appeared on the back of her left hand, telling her she had an incoming call. She tapped it. "Delgado here."  
  
" _Commander, please report to the bridge_ ," Meridina said. " _There may be an issue on the station and we need you on sensors._ "  
  
Cat nodded. "On my way. Delgado out." She shut down her computer screen and stood to get her uniform back on. _Whatever you do, Cat, it can wait. Deal with this first_ , she told herself.  
  
  
  
  
With a life on the line, the three moved as quickly as they could through DS9. The lift took them to the outer ring and from there they made their way into Pylon 4. The familiar sense of slightly stale air told them they were getting close. "Cargo bay's here," Lucy said, noting their position on her omnitool and a map display of DS9's interior. She drew her lightsaber. Talara did the same while Pallina remained behind them, her mind prepared for trouble. They didn't sense any danger and Pallina didn't feel any minds. _They have a magister with them, she thought to the others. He may be shielding their mental presence from me.  
  
Understood._ With that in mind Lucy pressed the cargo bay door control. It slid open without effort. Her lightsaber ignited in readiness of a fight, prompting Talara to do the same.  
  
No fight happened, however. They found the cargo bay empty.  
  
Mostly.  
  
Ignatus was in the middle of the bay, wrists held spread-eagled by wires suspended from the walls. It was a painful position to leave someone in. His robes were tattered and his shirt ripped open, revealing bruising and welts on his chest from a severe beating. His face had received similar treatment.  
  
"Ignatus." Pallina stepped forward to go to her brother's aid. She was only stopped by Lucy, who held her arm out to block her path. Lucy's surface thoughts told Pallina what was wrong.  
  
 _Explosives. Around the room. It's a trap._


	4. Chapter 4

Pallina and Talara remained still at the entrance to the cargo bay while Lucy brought her omnitool on. She kept it to passive scan, just in case the detonator was rigged to activate if actively scanned, and waited for the results. As they came to her screen she noted that aside from the explosives there were field emitters active as well. "They've also got an anti-beaming field up," she said aloud.  
  
"Then what do we do?" asked Talara. "I can sense his injuries. They are extensive. He needs medical attention."  
  
"I know." Lucy nodded while still checking her readings. "But if we don't do this right, we all get blown to kingdom come."  
  
  
  
  
The extra security received little comment when the summit reconvened. Kira now sat with the Bajoran delegation with her phaser openly holstered to her hip. Odo and Richmond were in the room as well looking particularly tense.  
  
The Changeling didn't take note of any of that. "We are prepared to hear your terms in exchange for eliminating the technology that harms our people," he said.  
  
"We would propose a compromise," said Tranu. "We will agree to not use the technology widely. It will only be employed to protect our most critical places and will never be applied offensively."  
  
"Unacceptable," was the immediate reply. "The term cannot be enforced without risking my people. And you would still possess the technology and could use it at any time."  
  
"The same is true even if we accepted your terms," Tranu pointed out. "And I will add that if we were to agree to eliminate the technology, we would have no means to effectively enforce any promise by your people to cease infiltration. On two known occasions your people have infiltrated the Alliance. The first infiltrator was only discovered because evidence was found identifying the remains of the officer they replaced. The second infiltrator masqueraded as an Alliance Senator for months with success and was only unmasked by extraordinary circumstances. You understand that we are reluctant to completely eliminate our ability to guarantee against further infiltrations."  
  
"And we will not let ourselves be victimized by solids ever again," the Changeling declared.  
  
"We will never use this technology aggressively," Pensley insisted. "And given time and the building of trust, we can have it deactivated."  
  
"Trust for solids is low among my people, and your decision will not improve the matter." The Changeling's tone was growing harsher. "The Dominion will not accept your continued use of this technology, and I remind you that it will do nothing to stop our Jem'Hadar."  
  
"If it is a war you wish, Changeling, the Klingon Empire is ready," Potag challenged.  
  
"Threats of war are unnecessary," T'Latrek said, glaring icily at Potag.  
  
"We are not threatening you," the Changeling informed them. "We are informing you of the term necessary for peace. It is your choice, solids: peace or your weapon against us."  
  
  
  
  
One thing was clear to Lucy and the others; they were running out of time. The NEUROM team was on the move. And Ignatus, wounded as he was, needed medical care. They had to act and neutralize the risk.  
  
"Do you think we can hold him in the air and pull him out?" asked Talara.  
  
"The sensors might detect his movement and trigger the detonator. That's what we need to deal with." After several seconds Lucy felt an idea form in her mind. "Talara, give me a link to your omnitool, I need the extra processing power."  
  
Talara did just that, calling up the blue holographic interface for her Stellar Navy-issue omnitool and linking it to Lucy's. Lucy operated her own with speed.  
  
"What are you doing?" asked Pallina.  
  
"Using our omnitools to isolate the local bands their hardware is using. Given the layout, the detonator is likely wireless… there. Found it." Lucy's fingers moved over the hard-light controls her omnitool generated. "Okay, this is going to be tricky. They've set it up to auto-detonate if anyone connects to the device, and they're using a rotating frequency for the connection to the bombs. But I think I can fool the auto-detonate for a little while. Long enough to get him clear."  
  
"So we can enter?"  
  
"No. Talara, throw your lightsaber and cut him down. We'll levitate him out."  
  
"Understood." Talara pulled her weapon from her belt. With a press of a button the lavender-colored energy blade came to life with a snap-hiss.  
  
"On my mark. Three… two…" Lucy had to allow the countdown to hang in order to ensure her plan was working. "...one… _now_."  
  
Talara threw her blade into the cargo bay. She focused her will on it, powered by the Flow of Life, and directed the blade to spin through the air. It turned the blade into a shining lavender disc of light that sliced through one set of bonds and then the other. She recalled the blade to her hand while Ignatus dropped halfway to the floor. Lucy caught him and held him in place. Talara felt the strain on her mentor from this as Lucy was both exercising her power to hold Ignatus and was keeping the detonator from going off.  
  
The moment Talara had her weapon back in hand she extinguished the blade and fixed it to her belt again. She stretched a hand out and took control of Ignatus from Lucy, relieving her teacher of the burden and letting her focus on the detonator. It seemed only a couple months ago Talara would never have been able to hold such a weight as she was now, but with some strain she was able to pull Ignatus toward the door.  
  
Once he was through Lucy slammed the door closed. Talara felt a spike of realization and fear go through her teacher. Without warning Lucy turned toward her and Pallina and pushed them away with a blast of invisible energy, throwing the two and the unconscious Ignatus clear of the cargo bay door area.  
  
A moment later the explosives in the cargo bay went off.  
  
The door contained the blast initially. But a second, larger blast, not even a second later, tore the sliding door from its track. Talara felt Lucy's power flare up in self-defense before the door smashed into her and drove her into the wall. There was crushing pain and then nothing. "Lucy!" Talara cried, scrambling to her feet while Pallina looked on in shock. "Lucy!"  
  
"She's… I think she's…"  
  
Even as flames roared from the opening of the doorway - the station's systems here were too damaged to engage fire suppression - Talara charged forward. She reached out with desperation and pulled the bent metal frame of the door away from where it was half-laying against the far wall. Beneath it Lucy was laying on the ground. She wasn't moving. Her armor was visibly damaged. Talara knelt beside her and instinctively reached through the Flow of Life, terrified that Lucy was dead. She was relieved to feel Lucy's life energies intact. She instead sensed the injuries Lucy suffered. Knowing they were beyond her ability to heal, Talara immediately keyed her omnitool. "Talara to _Aurora_ , beam Lieutenant Lucero to medbay immediately, medical emergency!"  
  
  
  
  
The bombing didn't go unnoticed on the bridge of the _Aurora_. Cat tore herself from scans of the wormhole the moment she saw the unexpected thermal flare. "Captain, I've just picked an explosion on DS9, one of the pylon cargo bays."  
  
Kaveri's response was immediate. "General quarters, all stations," she said.  
  
Beside her, Meridina sensed the next order Kaveri was going to give and asked, "Captain, may I join the Marines? I believe Captain Dale will need my assistance."  
  
Kaveri nodded to her. With the summit in danger, they'd need every available resource on the station to stop the attackers.  
  
  
  
  
The blast was not so great to cause the station to shudder. Outside of those in the area of the pylon where the blast occurred or the crew in Ops, nobody would know until news came.  
  
Nobody save the lone figure hidden away in the station core, in one of the maintenance storage areas.  
  
The woman in the dark cloak frowned at the sensation. The fools, agents of an overreaching and petulant master, were going through with it. Their audacity was perhaps admirable, but their actions in contravention of their true master's orders were unforgivable.  
  
The woman started to smile. She left her hiding place and started to run.  
  
  
  
  
The summit was in paralysis. The Changeling's terms were fixed and he refused to give particulars on the Dominion's offered concessions until he received assurance the Alliance would accept the abandonment of the Changeling detector device.  
  
It was frustrating for Robert, who could sense the certainty of the Dominion leader. The term would be accepted or war would be the result, and it was a war the Dominion believed it could win now that the Alliance faced the persistent threat of the SS exiles and the Cylons to tie down so much of its fleet.  
  
Robert's thoughts on the matter were sharply diverted as he felt imminent danger. He focused on that sense, ignoring the discussion around him, waiting patiently to see if danger materialized.  
  
Acting on instinct, guided by the metaphysical energies within him, Robert raised his arms and used his will to create a wall of force against the conference room's far wall. A number of people noticed the gesture, but none had time to respond to it.  
  
With a thunderous roar the wall exploded. Robert's bubble of will-powered force caught the blast, weakening it enough that none were harmed by it. Robert's entire body ached with the force of the blast and how it hammered at his will. It knocked him backward and to the floor.  
  
Dark-clad figures came through the newly-formed hole in the wall, firearms raised. They fired a moment before the security in the room could. Green pulses of light scorched and burned the security personnel that they struck, those who didn't get to cover in time. Those who did helped get both sides of the summit to cover.  
  
"Return fire! Cover the delegates!" Richmond shouted. Beside her Odo dropped his customary humanoid form. After a few moments as a shapeless globule of amber fluid, he took the form of a white-furred creature with a horn on its head and jumped from hiding at one of the attackers. The attacker was too busy gunning down a Jem'Hadar guard to stop him from ripping the the gun away.  
  
Robert was back to his feet a moment later. His lightsaber came to life in an emerald flash and hummed away as he intercepted fire. He forced two of their opponents to slam into each other. Around him Richmond and the various security forces, including the Jem'Hadar and the Cardassians, started to return fire with increasing efficiency. Several of their foes went down.  
  
And then a man in an immaculate gold uniform appeared, like some kind of war god, pride and disdain on his bearded face. He didn't move a hand, nor a muscle. Only the intensity in his eyes spoke of the power he unleashed.  
  
Every humanoid being in the room froze. Robert felt the telepathic attack wash over his defenses, paralyzing him by forbidding his brain from operating his body. Even the involuntary grimace he would have formed failed to show on his face. He started to reach inward, grasping for his connection to the Flow of Life to aid him in breaking free.  
  
The only two beings in the room not effected by the telepathic attack were Odo and the Dominion Founder. The former was wrestling with a particularly strong member of the attacking force. The latter, noticing what was happening, took the form of an avian and flew upward.  
  
Whether or not the Founder intended to aid Odo was a moot point. A barely visible ripple came over the room, as if an energy field was being formed. As the ripple went through the two changelings they turned amber again. Their solid forms seemed to melt until they were both puddles of goo on the floor.  
  
One of the remaining shooters came through the hole in the wall with what looked like a cylindrical wet-vac, at least to Robert. She ran the device over the fallen changelings. They were sucked in within a couple of seconds.  
  
The attackers began pulling out of the room. As they did so, the golden-suited man sent one final telepathic impulse to the assembled.  
  
 _Sleep_.  
  
All of them, even Robert, crumpled to the floor.  
  
  
  
  
The bomb blast and attack were not unnoticed in Ops. Sisko, Kira, and Worf were at the central table and Dax and O'Brien were at their stations, everyone prepared for the potential crisis they'd been warned of. "Chief, what's the status on Pylon 4?" Sisko asked while the others confirmed the other blast.  
  
"The damage isn't extensive. Looks like it blew out a cargo bay. Some structural damage."  
  
Kira noticed another update on the systems. "Sensors are confirming weapons fire in the wardroom."  
  
Sisko didn't let his grim thoughts about the result of this attack show on his face. "Mister Worf, get down there with security teams, immediately."  
  
"Yes sir." Worf went for the turbolift.  
  
"It's going to take time." O'Brien looked over his systems. "Something's hacked into our security systems. Looks like a localized takeover of forcefield generators and bulkhead controls. We're doing what we can."  
  
Worf stepped onto the lift. "We will make our way through regardless," he said. "Administration Deck." The lift lowered into the ground.  
  
"I've got the shields up," Kira said. "They won't be beaming out. Locking down docking clamps."  
  
"Get me the _Aurora_." Sisko waited for his Ops crew to follow the order. The blank flat oval viewscreen changed to show a view of the _Aurora_ bridge. The gray-haired image of Kaveri Varma showed. "Captain Varma, the summit's been attacked."  
  
" _We have been notified as well. Commander Meridina and a security team beamed over the moment we detected the explosion. If you can extend your shields around the_ Aurora _, we will send over further security teams._ "  
  
Sisko nodded to O'Brien. "Extending shields," O'Brien said.  
  
  
  
  
Meridina and Lieutenant Lindstrom's team advanced through the halls of DS9, weapons readied and sensors seeking their foe. The latter part was the most difficult. While the sensors were functioning, life sign readings were not stable. A selective kind of jamming was in place. Meridina found she was relying more on her personal life energy, and her telepathic senses, to discover the location of her foes.  
  
The sense of danger escalated as they approached a junction in the corridor. Meridina's lightsaber flashed to life in her hand, signaling Lindstrom and his people to bring their rifles up. They moved into place.  
  
The enemy was already aware of their arrival, their own weapons raised, and Meridina was ready to repel their fire. But before either side attacked, she felt a mental presence strike at the group. Her mental defenses met the attack and held. Lindstrom and his people had no such defense, however, and their attacker implanted intense terror and fear into them. Lindstrom whimpered and dropped to a knee. "Don't hurt me," he pleaded.  
  
"Fire," the golden-suited enemy ordered, his uniform one Meridina recognized: the uniform of NEUROM's Ministry of Fate.  
  
Even with the mental attack still pressing against her defenses, Meridina was able to lift her lightsaber in defense of herself and Lindstrom's people. She reflected as many of the shots as she could, but there was too much incoming fire. One of Lindstrom's people was hit and went down, critically wounded. Another joined him.  
  
Fire let up, but Meridina had no opening to use that. From the enemy ranks a leather-clad woman leapt forward, a sinister grin of anticipation on her face. The incoming fire kept Meridina from moving away, not if she was to protect the security personnel behind her. She watched the woman's prod come up toward her leg and steeled herself for what she knew would come next.  
  
The weapon made contact with her hip. Pain paralyzed the leg and rippled through Meridina's body in waves. She gasped while struggling to keep her attention forward. It brought her down to a knee. Worst of all, it slowed her, and her enemy knew she was vulnerable in this state.  
  
A powerful force gripped the leather-clad woman and threw her back toward her allies. She toppled into two of them, sending all three tumbling to the ground in a tangled heap. Freed from the savage agony, Meridina was able to get back to her feet and keep her weapon moving.  
  
Talara rushed in with her lightsaber at the ready. She caught fire that would've struck another of Lindstrom's people, knocking it back into the NEUROM team and singing the shoulder of a shooter. Pallina ran up behind her, white robes trailing from the speed with which she was moving. She turned her eyes toward the golden-uniformed man. A determined frown crossed her face. "Release them, Magister!"  
  
"Magi!" the man snarled, while Pallina's mind interposed her power between him and the _Aurora_ security team.  
  
Before anything more could be said or done, a soft, sinister laugh came from the other direction. Several of the NEUROM team turned to face it. Meridina and Talara shivered at the intensity of the dark power they now felt, suddenly revealed as if hidden by a cloak.  
  
Coming down the opposite side of the corridor the NEUROM forces were using was a lone figure. Her cloak was black as night, a contrast to the ash-gray of the skin on her face. Her eyes were a burning red like twin coals, the power behind them searing. Her right hand extended. A lightsaber blade of bright crimson light, brighter than either Meridina or Talara's blades, flashed to life with a snap-hiss. The brightness of the color was one Meridina and Talara had only seen in memory, specifically the memories of Robert and Lucy, of the mysterious woman called "Yellow" who escaped them on the Citadel.  
  
They were distracted by the sheer fear they felt from their foes. One of the soldiers actually wailed in terror.  
  
The Magister did not show fear, although the two sensitives felt it radiate from him instinctively. His voice was still firm as he demanded, "What are _you_ doing here?! This is a sanctioned operation!"  
  
"Not by the highest." The voice was chilling. Talara felt a flicker of recognition at it. "You were warned Magister. Yet you defied that warning. You have crossed the Fates."  
  
A thought rippled from many of the NEUROM soldiers, loud and clear for Meridina and Pallina, even to Talara through her sensitivity. In their terror their minds recited a line memetically seared into their hearts in childhood.  
  
 _Cross the Fates and face the Furies._  
  
Pallina gasped at the intensity of the fear and of her own realization. "Tisiphone."  
  
The gray woman laughed. "Yes, Magi!" And with that said she charged, her lightsaber singing in the air. The Magister issued a mental command to his soldiers and the combat was renewed.  
  
The NEUROM team was in a bad place, but they fought. It was with the courage of the desperate that they did so, but it was still courage. Talara and Meridina worked hard at deflecting their fire, as most of it was coming against them.  
  
This was understandable given what was happening on the other side of the corridor. The red-eyed being Pallina called "Tisiphone" advanced with relish at her foes. They fired at her to no avail, her crimson lightsaber slashing through the air to deflect their shots before it started cleaving through their bodies, every blow struck a mortal one.  
  
Lindstrom and his people were regaining their footing, aided by Pallina's mental aid against the NEUROM Magister's telepathic attack, returning fire with some effect against the NEUROM team. They had protections, but they had little in the way of effective cover. Their numbers more than anything kept Lindstrom's people from pressing their position.  
  
The leather-clad woman got back to her feet and advanced with a hiss, each hand now holding a pain-provoking agiel. Talara intercepted her and deflected her blows. She felt the woman's anger and need to feel the pain of others press against her mind. The training she'd received from Lucy helped resist this attack for the time being while every impact of her lightsaber seemed to damage the agiels a little more.  
  
There was another battle beyond these, but none could see it The minds of Pallina and the Magister were in direct conflict. The sheer will and drive for control of the Magister's mind pressed against Pallina's. She sensed his name - Fayd-Taras. _The All-Father himself sent you to this. Why?  
  
Magi scum!_ was his only response. With his will, Fayd-Taras pressed fear on Pallina. He forced the memories of her brother's torture on her. Of the other Magi he'd encountered in his career, their terror and agony as the Ministry of Fate destroyed them slowly and brutally and with sadistic glee.  
  
Pallina resisted as best she could, not by righteous anger for her brother and her fellow Magi, but by the peace within. The peace of her soul, tied to the oneness of all life and the serenity it promised as taught by the Sophia. The freedom to embrace that light in one's own way. Peace brought happiness. Peace brought comfort. _Peace banishes fear_.  
  
It was soon clear that they were in a stalemate, even as fighting continued to rage around them.  
  
  
  
  
The quiet in the conference room was broken by Robert, who groaned at the headache he felt as he stood up. The telepathic sleep command had broken clean through his defenses, but it'd been weakened enough to lose its grip quickly. He rose to his feet and tapped at the blue light shining over his left hand. "Dale here."  
  
" _Captain Dale, what is your status?_ "  
  
The sleep in Robert's mind cleared enough for him to recognize Kaveri's voice. "Telepathic sleep command got everyone in here, but I resisted enough it didn't hold me for long," he said. "They took Constable Odo and the Founder."  
  
" _Commander Worf and security teams are attempting to arrive at your location, but that section of the station was sabotaged. Your attackers, have you identified them?_ "  
  
"NEUROM," Robert answered. "Ministry of Fate. I need Lucy and the others, immediately."  
  
" _Lieutenant Lucero's been beamed to the medbay with severe injuries. Lieutenant Talara's joined Commander Meridina. I'll have Ms. Inviere beamed over immediately._ "  
  
"Good. I'll get to work, then." Robert lowered his arm and concentrated. Immediately he felt it. Not just the ongoing fight and the fear it brought, but darkness, cold and terrible in its power. It was deeper than even Fassbinder's had been. And it was approaching Meridina and Talara.  
  
So he started running, channeling every bit of his power that he could in the process to hasten to his comrades' side.


	5. Chapter 5

The Ministry of Fate personnel fought with the courage of the desperate, keeping up their fire against the _Aurora_ security personnel. Talara's lightsaber kept them from effectively engaging the security teams while Meridina duelled the female agent. Their telepathic talents canceled one another out, and the concentration to face those attacks did even the field in terms of Meridina's abilities with the Flow of Life as well. Beside them Pallina, protected by Talara's defensive maneuvering, kept her mind locked with the Magister Fayd-Taras, keeping his impressive telepathic talents from joining the rest of the battle.  
  
Even though they were stymied at this end, it was along the other that the NEUROM team were losing badly. No matter how much fire they kept up, the approaching figure of Tisiphone seemed impossible to hit. Her lightsaber was a streak of bright crimson as it deflected their shots. She deftly maneuvered around others. Nor was the fire very accurate; every member of the NEUROM team was stricken with utter terror at the appearance of one of the dreaded Furies.  
  
And they had a good reason for that terror. Even before she got into striking range, Tisiphone was inflicting death on the troopers. She deflected their fire so that it struck them in vital points. With the sheer dark power at her command she sent the squad leader to his knees gasping for air he could not breathe in, given the force clamping his airway closed. And when she got into range her lightsaber brought instant death to whomever she swung it at. Each strike was a lethal blow.  
  
The troops there tried to fall back, but soon they were the only thing between the Tisiphone and Fayd-Taras' back. They couldn't retreat any longer. They could only stand their ground, blasting away at the ash-gray figure scything through them. Their shots scorched the walls and floor of the station's corridor, blackening the Cardassian-made materials, but no blow landed on the relentless Fury. Her eyes burned like red coals as her lightsaber deflected those shots that posed her a danger. One bolt slammed into the throat of a NEUROM trooper, fatally wounding her. Her comrades moved as she fell, trying to spread out and fire from multiple directions.  
  
It was for nothing. She gained the range. She ducked under one shooter and then slashed upward, a vicious cut that sliced through her opponent from his right hip to his left shoulder. As that foe fell, nearly bisected by the strike, she whirled and caught the blasts of the remaining trooper with her hand, seeming to just absorb them. Purple-tinged lighting lashed back, enveloping the trooper. His scream soon escalated into a death-scream as the energy tore the life from his body.  
  
Fayd-Taras felt the deaths at the periphery of his senses. But his mind and Pallina' were locked in a struggle and he would never pull away from it. Knowing what would come next, he made his choice.  
  
Pallina herself realized what he was doing and tried to pull away, but couldn't. With vicious hatred Fayd-Taras locked his mind on hers, forcing Pallina to maintain contact just to defend herself. Ensuring she would experience what came next.  
  
Tisiphone's blade struck out again. A cry of visceral agony came from Fayd-Taras as the crimson lightsaber of the Fury burned through his abdomen to come out the other end, then moved upward, searing its way through his body until it came out through his head.  
  
It was a brutal death, and Pallina felt every moment of it. She felt the Door open and Fayd-Taras' terror as his being was ripped from his remains. She felt his rage as, in his final moments, he tried to maintain their contest just long enough to pull her in too. To make her _feel_ what was on the other side of the Door.  
  
She managed to avoid that. She disconnected at the threshold, leaving Fayd-Taras behind.  
  
But still the Magi suffered. The agony of Fayd-Taras' final moments as the lightsaber ripped through him echoed in her body, as if it were her guts being speared, her lungs being burnt to a crisp and sliced through by the heat of the lightsaber. She gave a stifled cry and collapsed.  
  
Meridina felt her pain as she felt the deaths around her. More importantly, she sensed the fear in her opponent at Fayd-Taras' death. The vicious woman's attack faltered, if just for a moment, and that gave Meridina the room to strike. With expert quickness she sidestepped a clumsy blow and swung her lightsaber at the woman's arm. The blade cut cleanly through the forearm, causing the lower part of the limb with its attached hand, and the weapon it held, to fall to the floor. A cry of pain and surprise came from her foe and echoed in Meridina's mind due to their telepathic connection.  
  
She forced the phantom sensation away with the sure knowledge that her own limb was still intact. She swung her weapon again and removed the woman's other hand and arm up to the elbow, removing her last weapon. Another gasp and cry, and this time her foe was down, no longer a threat.  
  
She didn't have time to consider her victory. She sensed the danger, the imminent death, and by instinct Meridina's lightsaber struck forward, as if to cut the air before her disarmed foe.  
  
The blue blade arrived in time to intercept the crimson weapon of the Fury a second before it could cleave the leather-clad woman's head in two.  
  
The Tisiphone looked to Meridina and scowled. "This is not your affair, Gersallian!"  
  
"She is unarmed!" Meridina responded.  
  
"She has betrayed her true master," the Fury retorted. "She must pay the price."  
  
"I will not let you kill her."  
  
Meridina felt the rage of the being surge, only slightly leavened by sharp amusement. A wicked smirk came to the ashen gray features under that dark hood. "You will 'let' nothing, Gersallian."  
  
The incoming blow was sensed at only the last moment. Meridina intercepted the Fury's lightsaber only mere millimeters from her body. Another blow came, just as vicious and swift as before, and again she barely stopped it. This process repeated again and again as mere seconds passed. The power of her foe was incredible, like nothing she'd faced before. Even _Mastrash_ Goras paled in comparison to the sheer power of the Fury.  
  
Pain shot through Meridina's shoulder. The Fury's lightsaber ran through the armor, scorching the flesh below, before Meridina's blade intercepted it just shy of her neck. A short laugh came from the being and Meridina got the uneasy feeling she was _allowed_ to stop her own decapitation. "Pathetic," the Fury rasped.  
  
There was a buzz in the air and lavender light rushed. Talara's strike hit nothing but air, however, as the Fury deftly evaded the attack. Meridina attempted an attack of her own, this one caught by the Fury's lightsaber. _You have an opening!_ she thought, connecting to Talara's mind and urging her to land the blow.  
  
Talara, to her credit, didn't hesitate. Didn't dare against this strong a foe. Her blade went in.  
  
A sharp snap and hiss filled the air and a _second_ crimson blade, as bright as the first, came to life between the Fury and Talara, intercepting Talara's attack. The Fury cackled and spun around, a lightsaber in each hand allowing her to duel the two of them at the same time without having to switch back and forth. Indeed she went on the attack, focusing her strength on Talara while Meridina struggled to aid the Falaen woman. Talara cried out as one of the blades striking along her hip, searing through armor and into her flesh. The Fury's armored boot snapped up and caught Talara in the chest. Ribs snapped under the empowered blow and Talara fell back, wounded and in pain.  
  
And yet the Fury now seemed in danger, as the last of the NEUROM team went down to Lindstrom's squad. Pulse rifles pointed her way.  
  
But they never fired.  
  
The Fury slammed her fist down to the floor. A powerful burst of energy radiated outward and blew Lindstrom, Talara, and everyone else backward into the walls of the surrounding corridor. Only Meridina managed to deflect the powerful energies with her own, leaving her as the only one standing. She immediately resumed her duel with Tisiphone.  
  
Or so she tried. The Fury's blasts caught hers, locked her lightsaber into place between them, and the Fury's head shot forward and slammed into Meridina's face. Meridina's nose took the brunt and was broken immediately, startling her enough that the Fury knocked her legs out from under her with a burst of unseen force. She loomed over Meridina. "You are weak. _Unworthy_." Her blades came up.  
  
But they didn't come down. They swept to the side and caught Gina's lightsaber as it came slashing in. "The Cylon." Tisiphone laughed. "The traitor and exile."  
  
"Leave her alone," Gina demanded.  
  
That brought another laugh. Meridina felt the dark power of the Fury surge with pleasure at the renewed contest. Her lightsabers renewed their pitiless assault, this time focusing on Gina. Gina resisted bravely even as blow after blow started singing armor and robe and, eventually, skin. Ignoring the red hot pain of her broken nose Meridina started to get back up, blood flowing down around her lip.  
  
Even as she attacked, aid came from a third quarter. Robert raced in, catching one of the Fury's lightsabers with his own before it could slice into Gina's right arm. Determination showed on his features; he could sense the power of their foe and knew the fight would be hard.  
  
Tisiphone actually took a few steps back, holding her lightsabers in a defensive position. "The Dawn-Bearer." Her eyes focused on Robert, who met them without flinching. "I was wondering when you would come. And where is the other, I wonder?"  
  
"She's not available."  
  
"Ah." Tisiphone cackled. "Wounded, I take it, by Fayd-Taras' trap? She should have left the Magi to die. My master will be disappointed I could not test her as well."  
  
Talara struggled back to her feet behind the others. She got her lightsaber back up and moved ahead to join them, heedless of her own injuries.  
  
The Fury struck before they could begin a coordinated attack. She became a whirling dervish of crimson, her lightsabers switching without seeming effort from one foe to the next, from attack to defense, and pressing her four foes. Robert took the brunt of the offensive strikes, as if Tisiphone knew his skill with the blade was not as great as his raw power. He grunted as one lightsaber blow ran across his right side and chest, but he did not give way.  
  
And yet, neither did the Tisiphone. Outnumbered four to one, she held her ground, indeed, all four felt the sincere belief she was _winning_ the duel. More than that, it seemed their continued fight was only because she was letting them. Slashes injured lightly but not deeply, never threatening life or limb, while nobody landed a blow on her.  
  
But despite that they didn't back down.  
  
Pallina forced herself to a knee. Her mind burned from the pain of Fayd-Taras' death and how close he came to pulling her into the Door with him. Now she recognized the predicament before her and knew the others needed her help. She pushed away the instinctive fear at the very idea of telepathically assaulting one of the dreaded Furies and sent an attack probe at Tisiphone's mind. It was like looking into pure obsidian coating a roiling storm of rage and vicious fury. The probe faltered against those defenses. She pressed harder.  
  
Tisiphone scowled. "This isn't your affair either, Magi!" Deflecting a strike by Gina, she directed energy at Pallina to throw her back. Robert absorbed it with his own power. The scowl grew. "Very well," she hissed, her mind still resisting Pallina' probe even as her body and power resisted the others. "We will finish this later!"  
  
And then, without giving them a chance to stop her, the Tisiphone turned back on the leather-clad woman still staring at her, terror on her face. The terror increased as the Tisiphone's arm swung outward. Her hand released the lightsaber it grasped, sending the crimson blade spinning forward. The blade cut cleanly through the woman's neck. Her head fell one way, her body the other.  
  
The blade returned to the Tisiphone's hand as she spun backward, evading a strike from Gina and Meridina. She snarled at them and barked a harsh command in a language none recognized. A recognizable transporter effect whisked her away.  
  
  
  
  
O'Brien and Dax both noted the new information on their consoles. "We just detected a transport," Dax said. "But I can't get a fix on where they went."  
  
Sisko frowned. "Intensify scans. Chief, did they go through our shields?"  
  
"Doesn't look like…" O'Brien stopped, seeing something else at his station. "We just had a disruption in the shields near Pylon 2. It looks like a ship just went through it."  
  
"Confirmed. They're decloaking now."  
  
Sisko turned to the main viewer. A vessel showed on it, flying away from the station. The ship reminded him somewhat of a small Klingon Bird-of-Prey with the downward sloping wings, but the engines were far more prominent and the sides mounted with what looked to be armored shields. "Tractor them."  
  
"Trying, but it looks like someone's sabotaged the tractor systems," Dax said. "They're not getting power."  
  
"Alert the _Aurora_." Sisko's words were heavy with disapproval and frustration: once again someone had sabotaged his station.  
  
  
  
  
The same ship was visible on the _Aurora_ bridge. The moment the ship decloaked Cat confirmed, "They're moving away at high sublight velocity."  
  
"Helm, intercept!" Kaveri ordered. "Lock a tractor beam immediately."  
  
"Aye ma'am," Locarno replied.  
  
"Firing up tractors," Jarod added.  
  
As the _Aurora_ pulled away from DS9 Cat continued her report. "The ship's accelerating faster than usual for a ship of that size. I'm running it through the database now… wait, we have a power spike!"  
  
"Activating tractor beam."  
  
Jarod spoke as he was working, and a ribbon of blue energy did reach out. But even as it appeared, the ship rushed forward as if shot from a cannon, disappearing the next instant and leaving nothing for the tractor beam to grapple.  
  
Kaveri frowned but said nothing. "Can we intercept them?" she asked.  
  
"I'm not picking them up on sensors," Cat said. "They didn't go to warp, or S0T5-style hyperspace. Although the energy pattern is similar…" Something else showed on her screens. "Captain, we've got a match on that ship. Two, in fact."  
  
"And they are, Commander?"  
  
Cat looked over the record to make sure she was right. "It's structure is the same as a ship that fled the Citadel three months ago, involving someone that was stealing debris from Sovereign. And it… it also matches the profile of the ship that protected the _Rio Grande_ when it was evacuating the Great Temple of Swenya last month." She blinked. "Exactly, in fact. It's the same ship. The records from the _Rio Grande_ match it completely."  
  
Jarod and Locarno waited patiently for further orders. Kaveri didn't make them wait long. "Bring us back to the station, Commander Locarno."  
  
  
  
  
With their foe gone everyone stopped in place. Slowly the pain in their bodies from their various injuries began to make itself known, drawing grimaces that they pushed away. Talara, ignoring her own broken ribs and injured hip, went to the aid of the unconscious Lindstrom. Gina used her omnitool to generate a cloth that she used to dab at Meridina's broken nose, wiping up the blood. Robert looked down at the blistered skin showing through his damaged armor and winced. "What the hell was she?"  
  
"A Fury," Pallina said. She was still picking herself up off the floor. "We… I can't believe it."  
  
"What?"  
  
"They're a myth. A legend of the Fracture," Pallina continued, very pale, as if she'd seen not just a ghost but the most horrific demon imaginable. "The Furies are supposed to be the enforcers of the Fates themselves. Every child born to a world in NEUROM is raised to fear them with intense memetics. 'Cross the Fates and face the Furies.' But, it doesn't make sense."  
  
"What? That she killed their forces instead of aiding them?" Gina asked.  
  
"Fayd-Taras is, _was_ , a Lord Magister of the Ministry. He acts directly as an agent of the All-Father, and the All-Father… he is supposed to be the interpreter of the Fates."  
  
"So he was a traitor?" Talara asked.  
  
Pallina shook her head. "I know his reputation, whispered in fear across the Fracture. It's not conceivable."  
  
"And he claimed he was sanctioned," Meridina added. "And this Fury only stated herself as acting on behalf of the 'Fates', not the All-Father."  
  
The confusion on the Magi was obvious. "It makes no sense."  
  
Robert walked over to one of the dead NEUROM troops. He recognized the cylindrical container there and pulled it loose. As he did footfalls came from down the corridor. Worf and a force of Starfleet and Bajoran security officers had their phasers raised and ready. "It's all over," he said to Worf.  
  
There were more footfalls. Weyoun came up with a couple of the surviving Jem'Hadar. "Did you rescue the Founders?!" he demanded. "What has become of them?!"  
  
Robert found the hatch for the cylinder and opened it. When nothing came out he tipped it over. A blotch of amber fluid poured out for several seconds. Slowly, very slowly, the resulting puddle became two. "They feel weak," he said in sympathy, given how he felt. "They're having trouble regaining their shape."  
  
"We will see to their safety," Weyoun said.  
  
"Constable Odo will remain with us," Worf replied.  
  
"Nonsense. Solids have already threatened the Founders enough today," Weyoun retorted. His Jem'Hadar started lifting their rifles.  
  
"We 'solids' also kept them from getting kidnapped," Robert pointed out, forcing diplomacy when he wanted to snap at the obsequious Vorta. "And Odo's part of this station, the people here are worried about him. How about both of you care for them until they can regain shape."  
  
Weyoun's blue eyes fixed on Robert for a moment. Tense seconds passed in which Robert feared the Vorta might push this further. He felt relaxed when Weyoun nodded. "Very well. In recognition of your selfless actions to rescue the Founders, we'll permit you to assist us."  
  
Robert could see Worf bristle at the wording, but the big Klingon said nothing. He recognized the insulting concession as still, ultimately, a concession.  
  
After all, the sooner they had this handled, the sooner Robert and the others could get to the medbay. _I'm starting to envy Julia's extended vacation_ , Robert thought with some humor.  
  
  
  
  
Silvery light barely broke the deep shadows of the guest suite where Julia was staying. She remained in bed, wrapped in a sheet as she turned and turned in her sleep. Sounds came from her throat that did not form words, coming from the dream that was afflicting her slumber.  
  
When she awoke it was not with a start, simply her body no longer bothering with the pretense of rest. She opened her eyes and found her arm gripping a pillow. Her dreams already began to dissolve like the threads of a weak spider's web, leaving her only with the faint memory of calling out to Robert as he was stalked by… something. Something shapeless, vicious and powerful, a monster of shadow and darkness.  
  
She took in a breath to focus herself and let the dream fade off.  
  
And then she heard the footstep.  
  
She defied the instinct to move, keeping herself still, on her side and turned away from the source. Was it her imagination? She waited.  
  
Another footstep.  
  
As a third joined it, she knew it was not her imagination. She couldn't be sure of the distance, but she was confident it wasn't far. And it was drawing closer. Adrenaline filled her as she readied herself to move.  
  
The footfalls stopped. There was nothing.  
  
Julia pushed herself forward, rolling out of her sheets and off the bed.  
  
As she rolled free heat baked her. Flame erupted from the middle of the bed a second after she was away. She hit the ground, her heart pounding and mind racing. Her eyes, adjusted to the darkness from being closed for so long, focused on a shadowy shape nearby, one of her eskrima sticks. Her left arm shot over and picked up her eskrima stick.  
  
She got to her feet and faced an attacker. He - she was certain her foe was male - was clad in dark clothing. The only light was the dull reflect from the flames consuming her bed and the flames roaring around his hands. Twin eyes of dark amber glared with anger at her. His right hand came up and the flames around it surged.  
  
With only a second to spare, Julia figured out what she needed to do. She ducked low, allowing the fireball from her foe's palm to toast her shoulder and arm but not make any full contact with her body. Seeing his movement she twisted to the right, evading another attack.  
  
Sensing she had her best shot, or at least the best she'd get, Julia's arm shot forward. Her hand released her stick. It flew through the air, tip forward, and smashed into the cheek of her attacker before another bolt of fire could be thrown. She dashed forward with that opening.  
  
Had she struck him in the eye as she'd hoped, her foe would never have recovered before she was in grabbing range. But he did recover, and again flame came from his hands. Julia got to him just before he could renew his attack, allowing her to use her forearms to push his arms around, stopping him getting a strike in. As his frustration spiked his movements got a little sloppy. He moved his arm a little too far, exposing it to a grab. She got her hand on the wrist and gained control of the arm.  
  
Now her foe panicked, trying to twist out of her grasp, but Julia stayed with him. She twisted the wrist in turn, twisted until there was an audible snap and a sharp hiss of pain from the dark-clad man. The pain of his broken wrist stunned him long enough for Julia to get her hand on his free arm, bringing it under control and allowing her to turn him and pin his arms against his back.  
  
The door to the suite bedroom slid open. More figures entered. Julia swallowed, not liking the odds, and turned him toward the others like a shield. But they didn't advance toward her.  
  
Behind her, on the balcony, she heard the roar of strong flames and a sharp impact on the ground. Footsteps sounded and Miko's voice cried out, "What is this?! What are you doing?!"  
  
The man in her grasp groaned, still hurting from her pressure on his arms and his broken wrist. Feeling more confident in her safety, Julia called out, "Lights on!" The system for the Fire Nation Palace, altered to recognize her English commands, obediently activated the lights for the bedroom.  
  
The dark clad men, and her attacker, turned out to be in dark red and gold, and she quickly recognized the faces of the Fire Sages.  
  
Footsteps echoed in the suite outside. Through the open door came Prince Tzen and a squad of the Fire Lord's Lifeguards. "What is the meaning of this?!" Tzen demanded.  
  
"This man attacked me," Julia said, nodding toward her captive. "He tried to burn me alive in my bed." She watched Tzen look to her burning bed with satisfied vindication.  
  
The head of the Fire Sages shook his head. "It was not our intent…"  
  
"Right now I don't care about your intent," Tzen raged. "An honor guest of the Fire Lord has been assaulted in her bed by one of your number!" He gestured to his guards. "Have this extinguished immediately!"  
  
"Allow me, Uncle." Miko stepped toward the bed and motioned with her arms. Powerful gusts of air stamped down on the flickering flames, blowing them out.  
  
"We must speak to the Fire Lord," insisted the elder Sage.  
  
"You will, in the morning, but for now you're going to the cells!" There was genuine mortification in Tzen's voice. Behind him more guards materialized, as did other palace servants, some carrying fire-fighting equipment. Those guards joined the initial squad in taking the Fire Sages into custody. Julia released her foe to be taken. Tzen bowed his head to her. "Captain, we will post guards, and have your wounds tended to."  
  
Now that her adrenaline rush was fading, Julia felt the pain. She looked down to see the scalding on both of her forearms from where the flames of her attacker made contact with her skin. Her shoulder also had a slight burn on it.  
  
Tzen continued. "My deepest apologies for this disgrace, Captain. The Fire Lord will not allow this to go unpunished, I promise you."  
  
For a moment nothing was said. Julia realized Tzen was expecting a response, so she matched his bowed head. "I thank you, Highness, for coming to my aid as you did," she said politely, "and I accept any aid you can give. I trust in your judgement and that of the Fire Lord."  
  
Mollified by her reply, Tzen raised his head and gave her a little nod before departing, bellowing as he did for medics to come.  
  
Julia turned to Miko, was not so easily mollified. "I'll find out what's going on," she promised. "The Sages have gone too far."  
  
"At least one of them did." Julia walked over to a chair and sat down gingerly, feeling the throbbing pain from her burns quite strongly now. She winced before looking up and smiling. "Thanks for coming too, Miko."  
  
Miko forced her own smile to her face, but it was clear she was still upset by what happened.  
  
 _We can sort it out in the morning, Julia thought. Right now, I feel like I could almost go back to sleep...  
  
  
  
  
Ship's Log: 13 November 2643 AST; ASV Aurora. Captain Kaveri Varma recording. The investigation into the NEUROM attack on the summit continues. I have reported all of the facts as they are known to Admiral Maran but as of yet, I am unaware of any response to them. The Alliance's relationship with NEUROM is non-existent, to my knowledge, with no standard diplomatic contact between our governments..  
  
While the goal of this "Magister Fayd-Taras" was not met, it appears the summit itself is still a casualty of the attack. I will be present to witness what may be the last session of the conferees._  
  
  
A different wardroom without a blown-in wall was picked for the final meeting. Kaveri and Sisko joined their delegations.  
  
Quiet reigned until Weyoun stood. "The Founder continues recovering from the treacherous assault we were all subjected to," he began. "I speak for him." Weyoun nodded his head toward Robert, patched up and with the Alliance delegation. "The Founder thanks those who bravely stood up to the attackers and ensured his rescue. Your courage is commended." He turned his attention back to the rest of the room. "Given the situation, the Dominion believes it is best if further discussions are postponed. We are withdrawing our participation in these talks and propose that any further discussions be held on a neutral world considered suitable to all parties."  
  
Porag scowled. Robert felt the disappointment in the room. Another month allowed for all sorts of escalations and crises to begin.  
  
"As a sign of good faith, the Dominion will extend our voluntary moratorium on convoys through the wormhole," Weyoun continued. "This extension will last for one standard month."  
  
Senator Tranu nodded. "The Allied Systems thanks the Dominion for this gesture. We hope to locate a suitable site for renewed talks. In the meantime, we concur with your decision."  
  
The other contingents did so as well. The summit broke up. Robert let out a sigh and glanced to the others. Kaveri glanced back and nodded. She recognized that nothing had been done to untie the knot the summit had been considering when the attack came. Any new summit would have to deal with the issue of the anti-infiltrator devices all over again.  
  
But at least they bought time. Another month was also plenty of time for new developments that might make peace last.  
  
While the groups filed out, Robert did have one last conversation he wanted to pursue. He approached the far door and drew the attention of the withdrawing Cardassian delegation. "Gul Dukat, a moment of your time?" he asked.  
  
The Cardassian leader considered him for a moment before nodding. He stepped away from the others, joining Robert in the corner. "Captain Dale," he said. "I haven't had the pleasure before, but I read our dossier on you during the _Mayala_ crisis. It's quite interesting to finally meet you."  
  
Robert nodded. Nearly three years had passed since the Dorei starbid _Mayala_ was used by its devoted commander, Captain Potana, to attack Cardassian ships in the DMZ. Now that the matter was brought up he recalled Potana clearly. _If only he'd held off. The Nazis would've been the evil he longed to fight._ "I recall reading your dossier as well, Gul."  
  
"I'm sure you have. So, what is it you wish to ask?"  
  
"Nothing to ask, simply some advice to share." Robert smiled thinly. "If I were you, Gul, I'd be careful about inviting foreign powers to attack my new bosses."  
  
Dukat's face never wavered. Robert felt only the slightest concern come from within him. "And what makes you think I did anything of the sort?" he asked.  
  
"I have my ways." _As long as we're being cryptic with each other._ "I do have to wonder why you'd have standing contact with people like NEUROM. Or rather, how you would, since NEUROM has no standing connection to any interuniversal-capable government that I know of."  
  
Robert didn't like the amused grin on Dukat's face. "Oh, I have my ways as well, Captain. And as for why, I considered a number of allies to help restore Cardassia's greatness. The Dominion proved the best choice, in the end. Now, if you'll pardon me…"  
  
Robert didn't stop Dukat from returning to his delegation. He walked over to rejoin the allied delegations. Pensley openly spoke as he came close. "I think we can consider this outcome proof that diplomacy may yet work," he said, flashing a challenging look toward Robert. "The Dominion clearly has no hostile intent. They have every reason to be aggressive now rather than later, if that were their goal."  
  
Robert said nothing in response. It was Odo who spoke up instead. "You are sadly mistaken, Mister Senator, if you believe the Dominion poses no long-term threat from their behavior here."  
  
Pensley showed surprise. "Constable, what could you mean by that? Surely you understand your own people as well as any of us."  
  
"I understand them _more_ than any of you," Odo corrected. "And one thing I understand is that my people do not think in the same time lengths you and most other people do. They will give up advantages now for those that will further their interests a decade or now, or even a century. Whatever they say now, they still intend on conquering the Alpha Quadrant and the entire Multiverse beyond it."  
  
Pensley scowled. "I think that's quite unfair of you."  
  
"Unfair or not, it is the truth," Odo said.  
  
Sisko nodded to Odo before looking at Pensley and, beside him, Tranu and the others. "What matters is that we're ready for them, whatever they decide. The Coalition has to hold together against the Dominion threat. So long as it does, we have a chance."  
  
"Our best chance can only be secured through peace, Captain Sisko," Pensley insisted. "I would think that a Starfleet officer would know that."  
  
Sisko responded to Pensley with a bemused look. "I do, but I'm not naive about it either." His tone was diplomatic, but his word choice was not lost on those present. Pensley scowled, recognizing the attack on his own beliefs in Sisko's words.  
  
"We should return to our vessels," T'Latrek advised, clearly not wanting to see another argument involving Pensley. "Our work here, for the moment, is done."  
  
Nobody objected.  
  
  
  
  
The _Aurora_ medbay was more active than usual given the injuries from the security contingent being tended to. Robert had his own wounds that needed double-checking, in this case by Nasri. She examined the pink line across his chest. "I think you'll get away with no scarring," she said. "The regenerators have done their job."  
  
"Thank you, Nasri." He pulled his uniform undershirt back over his chest and looked to the others. Meridina's nose was back into position and healing. Talara sat up on the bed, broken ribs mended, and Gina likewise was in better shape.  
  
Given their status, Robert returned his attention to Nasri to ask, "Can we see them now?"  
  
Nasri nodded. She led them into the main ward of medbay and a pair of beds. Leo was standing beside one, checking the plentiful injuries on the Magi named Ignatum while his sister watched quietly from a seat. In the adjoining bed Lucy was clad in a medbay gown and still asleep. "They're all patched up," Nasri said to Leo.  
  
Leo looked up at them and nodded. Robert sensed smoldering anger in him. "Is everything okay?" he asked his friend.  
  
"I'm getting very tired of treating torture victims," Leo lamented. "This was particularly cruel."  
  
"The enmity between the Councillors of the Sophia and the Ministry of Fate has lasted for millennia," Pallina said. "We are well aware that to fall into Ministry hands means a terrible, brutal death. It's a part of the risk."  
  
That clearly didn't make Leo feel any better, nor Robert and the others for that matter. "There's still a lot about them we don't know," he said to Pallina. "I'd be happy to hear more."  
  
"I can share what we know, but our knowledge is incomplete as well," Pallina admitted. "The Ministry is usually very careful about revealing itself. Entire worlds in NEUROM can spend centuries without coming to the attention of a Magister. This new… aggressiveness in them is like nothing we've seen before."  
  
"They did not enlighten me further," Ignatum added, still clearly weak. "But there is more that worries me. That there was a _Fury_ here…"  
  
The fear the title gave the two Magi was deep. Robert thought it akin to finding out that something like a mythological monster was real.  
  
"The Councillors will have much to consider, but for now brother, you must rest."  
  
"It occurs to me we know as little about your people as we do the Ministry," Meridina said. "But it is clear to me you are followers of the Light."  
  
"The Sophia spoke of the Light of Peace, won through free minds and souls," Pallina said. She looked toward Lucy. "And she spoke also of the sacrifices those in the Light sometimes pay for the sake of others."  
  
"Yes." Meridina and Talara both glanced toward Lucy as well.  
  
It was Gina who asked Leo the question Robert was already wondering. "How is she?"  
  
"Hurt, but alive," Leo said. "We stopped the internal bleeding, mended the broken bones. There's a slight concussion that's going to keep her off regular duty for the next month or so." Leo eyed Robert significantly with that.  
  
"Message received," Robert sighed. "'Don't take Lucy on life-threatening missions.'"  
  
"Don't take her on _any_ ," Leo corrected. "Light duty means I don't want her doing more than reading. And only so much of that a day."  
  
"We can certainly manage that, I think," Robert agreed, thinking of the translation work they needed done. He turned his attention back to the Tormayanas. "As a Paladin of the Alliance, I can say that the Alliance would be quite interested in learning more about your people and, perhaps, finding common ground to work together on certain matters?"  
  
Pallina nodded. "My people would welcome allies in the cause of peace and freedom. Our home universe has suffered from too much darkness for too long."  
  
"I'll let the President know in my report." Robert chuckled. "Which I'm due to go write, in fact. Please excuse me."  
  
The others joined him, all save Meridina, who sensed the interest of the two Magi in her. She remained where she was and gently reached out with her mind to touch theirs. _I can sense you wish to say more to me?_  
  
The siblings glyphed confirmation. Through it came enthusiasm, somewhat ecstatic. _You are a follower of Swenya. The Sophia wrote of her.  
  
She did?_ Meridina's attention was entirely on them now. _I was unaware there was a connection.  
  
Long ago, in the Reignfall, the Sophia learned of Swenya and her Code. She considered it an example for the Councillors to follow. 'Do not injustice to another, defend the weak and innocent…'_  
  
Meridina's approval came through the connection. _The Order will be pleased to connect with you. Those loyal to the Light must work together in these times…_ She couldn't keep the grief from showing on her expression, or in her mind.  
  
The two Magi responded with warmth, projecting it through their mental link. _We of the Magi were heartbroken to learn of the attack you suffered. It is clear that we must do more to support one another as the dark powers of fear and anger grow._  
  
That drew a glyph of agreement from Meridina. _I am afraid I must go attend to my duties as First Officer_ , she projected to them. Before turning away she gave them the information they needed to connect with her father Karesl, now the leader of the Order by virtue of being the last surviving member of the Order Council. They acknowledged it.  
  
  
  
  
Once she was gone and they were alone, Ignatum gave Pallina a worried look. "Do you think we should have said more? They have been kind to us."  
  
A guilty look crossed Pallina's face. "I feel the same, brother, but we have a duty. The Sophia left clear instructions to us all. The Circle must be protected, at all costs, or the Darkness will take us all."  
  
As expected, Ignatum could not object to that.  
  
  
  
  
With the sun halfway to noon in the sky, Julia followed Miko and Ursa into the audience chamber of the Palace. Daizon was at his seat, flanked by his wife and the Lifeguards. Other guards and Prince Tzen were standing watch on the assembled Fire Sages. They were back in their official robes as well, all save Julia's attacker during the night, who was in a simple vest and pants with restraint cuffs on his arms. The cuffs actually encapsulated his hands, presumably to prevent him from generating flame, and one was joined by the brace for the wrist she'd broken in the fight. His eyes glared her way, suspicion and anger filling them.  
  
Julia bowed respectfully to Daizon. "Your Lordship, you wished to see me?"  
  
"I extend my personal apologies for the attack you suffered last night," Daizon said, his usually calm and friendly voice now firm. It turned harsh as he added, "Our nation is disgraced by the behavior of those it looks to for spiritual guidance." He turned his attention to the Sages.  
  
The elder Sage who spoke to Julia before bowed. "Fire Lord, our deepest apologies. One of our own has allowed our disagreements over the Avatar's training to go too far. We can only beg your understanding and your mercy."  
  
"You can start with an explanation."  
  
Julia knew better than to give voice to her regret about how harsh Daizon was sounding with the Sages. She did regret it, but she recognized why. The Sages had insulted him as deeply as they threatened her, given she was the Fire Lord's guest of honor. Above that, this kind of attack had all sorts of diplomatic and political repercussions. Her death would have drastically undermined the Fire Nation's relations with the Allied Systems and its place in the Compact. Even the attack itself could cause problems.  
  
"Sage Ko Ran is convinced Captain Andreys poses a threat to the Avatar, my Lord."  
  
Daizon gave the unrobed Sage a cold look. "Does he?"  
  
"She would threaten the Avatar's very existence, my lord," the man said, finally speaking. He shot a glare at her which let Julia see the bruise from where her stick struck him. "In her arrogance she misleads the Avatar in her training, and now she plots to bring the Avatar to another universe. A universe in which the Princess Miko's death could spell the end of the Avatar Cycle itself! Once she refused to relent, I had no choice but to act to save the Avatar!"  
  
Miko's nostrils flared, but she held back from speaking.  
  
"So instead of bringing this worry to my attention, you decided to murder my guest?" Daizon asked coldly.  
  
"The Fire Sages exist to serve the Avatar as well as the Fire Lord," Ko Ran said. "I regret bringing dishonor to your house, my Lord, but the Avatar Cycle is the higher concern."  
  
"And yet, what proof do you have that this is a danger to Princess Miko?" asked Daizon. "Have the Sages learned anything new since they last brought their fears to my attention?"  
  
"We have not, my lord," the lead Sage confessed. "We simply believe that given the stakes of the matter, the existence of the Avatar Cycle demands excessive caution."  
  
"Princess Miko?" Daizon looked to her. "What have you to say about this?"  
  
"The Avatar Cycle is greater than the material universe. Raava exists on a plane beyond our own," Miko replied. "And we know that the spiritual abilities of the Humans and other species can be performed in many universes. Why couldn't Raava exist in them as well?" She drew in a breath. "A century ago some feared that Avatar Komin should not leave our world for the same reasons. Yet he perished on Zhongsu, many light years away, and I was born here in the palace."  
  
"A different universe is an entirely different scale, Avatar," Ko Ran protested.  
  
"Maybe so, but you do not convince me it is that different. And with her power, I believe Raava would find her way back here wherever she was." Miko shook her head. "As the Avatar I believe I can do more than just maintain the balance here. In time, I can be a symbol of balance to the whole Multiverse. Let me try this. If I feel a danger I can return."  
  
Ko Ran was clearly not convinced. The lead Fire Sage sighed. "I only wish the best for you and our world, Avatar."  
  
Daizon nodded. "It is clear that matter is decided. Captain Andreys?"  
  
"Yes, Lordship?"  
  
"I will see to this rogue's punishment, and it will be thorough," Daizon said. "As the victim of his treacherous attack, I offer you a chance to determine what that punishment will be."  
  
Julia considered the offer. More than anything, she had to say this the right way to avoid insulting the Fire Lord in one way or another. She contemplated carefully her response before coming to a judgement. "I trust in the Fire Lord's justice."  
  
Daizon nodded in reply. "Then this matter is settled for now. You are all dismissed from my presence."  
  
  
  
  
An hour later Julia was finishing packing the last of her things in the guest quarters. The bed she'd finished the night in was properly made and she'd spent ten minutes tidying things a bit, making it easier on the palace staff. It was unnecessary, but it made her feel better.  
  
She was met at the door to the suite by Miko, a duffel bag in the dark red and black of Future Industries. "Uncle Daizon will not let Ko Ran off lightly, you know. What he did will go down as a black mark in the history of the Sages. Probably the biggest one since the majority of them tried to betray Avatar Aang to Ozai in the last year of the Hundred Year War."  
  
"And that saddens you?" Julia asked, recognizing the tone in Miko's voice.  
  
She nodded. "I… I didn't want to humiliate them, just get them to understand what I'm doing. To trust me. You're the first teacher in these styles to make me believe I can make Waterbending work."  
  
 _No pressure there, Julia_ , was the thought that went through Julia's head.  
  
They made their way through the palace to its small shuttle port. An Alliance runabout, the _Dravatrusta_ from the _Starship Shenzhou,_ was waiting for her, a favor from that ship's captain.  
  
Also waiting for them were Daizon, Ursa, and other members of Miko's family. "Miko, Captain…" Ursa nodded to them from her chair. "We came to see you off."  
  
"You're not going to try and talk me out of this?"  
  
"Some of us are worried," Tzen confessed. "But we understand why you're doing this. Just be safe and come back home when you can."  
  
"I will." Miko smiled. "After all, I'll have to go find Komin Beifong to teach me Earthbending, right?"  
  
"Hopefully it won't be long, either," Prince Tenzo remarked. The family laughed and applauded at the idea, and Miko joined in.  
  
That left Julia's goodbye. "I'm honored by having such gracious hosts," she said. "And by the opportunity Miko's giving me. I'm hoping that I can help her reach her potential, and soon."  
  
"We trust you will do all that you can, Captain," Daizon said. "And given everything you've accomplished since meeting my grand-niece, I'm quite confident you'll have her waterbending like a natural."  
  
Julia smiled and nodded in thanks. He was perhaps laying it on a bit thick, but it was a nice sentiment to hear and he meant well.  
  
Miko gave hugs to her relatives, young and old, and the two made their way onto the runabout. An Alakin Ensign of copper feathering and gray coloring was at the helm beside a blue-skinned, teal-dotted Dorei man with a shaven head. He turned and revealed he was a junior Lieutenant. "I'm Lieutenant Jakata nis Tapa and this is Ensign Thees Lanu," he said. "Captain Ming's given us our orders to get you to New Liberty, ma'am. Whenever you're ready?"  
  
Julia took a seat at one of the rear stations. "Launch at your discretion, Lieutenant." She nodded to Miko who took another seat, after which she looked forward with clear excitement on her face.  
  
The runabout lifted from the pad and made its way into space. Through the cockpit window the _Starship Shenzhou_ glistened in the sunlight, her azure hull marked with lines of white and green. Miko admired the ship. "She looks a little like yours."  
  
"The _Shenzhou_ and the other ships of her class were modeled off the _Aurora_ ," Julia explained.  
  
" _Shenzhou_ is generating us a jump point in thirty seconds," Ensign Lanu chirped. "Odds are the spatial aspect will be off, it'll take a few days of warp flight to get us to New Liberty."  
  
"Understood, Ensign. If I weren't on mandatory leave I've offer to join the rotation."  
  
"No need, Captain, I brought us a full crew of four," Tapa assured her.  
  
The time passed in which Miko's excitement clearly grew. She gave Julia one final grin, one Julia matched, before seeing the formation of the green vortex that spirited them to her own home universe to Julia's.  
  
  
  
  
Roberrt made sure to be present in the ready office when Sisko arrived to meet with him and Kaveri. She accepted the digital padd offered by Sisko. "Dax and Chief O'Brien have confirmed the sensor readings in the Starfleet databases. It's the same class of ship the _Enterprise_ tried to catch at the Citadel three months ago."  
  
"The ship for that woman called 'Yellow'," Robert specified. "She stole at least one piece of Sovereign that we know of, maybe more."  
  
"And now we know she is also likely an agent of NEUROM's Ministry of Fate," Kaveri finished, looking over the padd. She used her omnitool to copy the data over to her systems and then to Robert's. "I thank you for this, Captain. It's clear that NEUROM is a threat to the stability of the Multiverse."  
  
"Can you think of why they'd want the summit to fail?" Sisko asked.  
  
"I don't think that's it," Robert said. "They were after one of the Founders."  
  
"Why would they be interested?" Sisko asked.  
  
A thought came to Robert. It was an example he was constrained from saying too much about. "There was one on Solaris last year," he said. "When we were there. They tried to capture that one too."  
  
"But you do not know why?"  
  
"I don't, Captain Varma. The NEUROM agent wasn't very talkative about it. But it worries me. They want a Founder, and they wanted pieces of Sovereign. What could NEUROM be up to?"  
  
"Or rather, this faction, since the woman with that ship helped stop the attack," Kaveri pointed out. "There may be an internal matter we're not aware of."  
  
"The chances are good. Better than those of our keeping the peace with the Dominion, I'd bet." Robert spoke the last with some trepidation. One interstellar war had been bad enough. He wasn't sure the Alliance could easily endure another big one.  
  
Whether because she saw his expression or had the idea already, Kaveri changed the subject. She nodded to Sisko. "Captain, before we depart, I would like to invite you and your command crew for a dinner aboard the ship."  
  
To that Sisko grinned. "You beat me to it, Captain Varma. I had the same thing in mind. I suppose it depends on how you feel about Cajun food? My father is a Cajun chef, and I know most of his recipes."  
  
“I find that the style is pleasingly palatable, if missing the… _bite_ of old favourites. Certainly your offer of hospitality is accepted, I can offer no such display of skill in response.”  
  
Robert had his own reason to grin. "Captain Sisko, I think it's about time I introduced you to our lounge host and cook, Hargert."  
  
  
  
  
It was a room of elegant, yet decadent, repose. Atop a pile of pillows sat a being that few knew existed and yet commanded the destinies of billions, ancient and terrible in her power. A heavy brow was set on her face and long, red hair down to her back. A gown hung loosely over her form, comfortable in its make. Some might look and think they saw a soft being, preferring pleasure, but one look into the eyes and they would know their error. This was a being with power, power felt more than seen, and many would think it for the better.  
  
Long ago, she had a name. Now the only name she cared to answer to was "Alekto".  
  
The Tisiphone bowed to her. Her coal-red eyes looked up and a pleasant expression came to her face. "Master, I am pleased to report a complete success. Your son's foolish meddling was disposed of. Fayd-Taras and his entourage are all slain."  
  
The Alekto smiled faintly. "I am pleased. And your encounter with the Dawn-Bearers?"  
  
That prompted a derisive snort. "I have my doubts, Master. They are weak. Unworthy."  
  
"Perhaps." The Alekto glanced to the other figure in the room, a woman wearing shaded glasses over her eyes with pale brown skin and a comfortable set of yellow robes. "Megaera, would you concur?"  
  
The woman considered the matter. "I agree that their strength is not what we require. But I believe they have the potential. And we know they are the best candidates, do we not?" She glanced to Tisiphone. "Did you test them all?"  
  
"One was already wounded, saving one of those Magi interlopers," the Tisiphone admitted. "Her whelp of a student was nothing. The Cylon traitor and the Gersalllian have some skill, but I held back greatly to avoid killing them. And Dale does not yet trust his own strength in the Force. He cannot handle it. And he is terrible with a lightsaber."  
  
The Alekto considered this quietly. She turned to a nearby console. "Xanadu Control, activate hypercomm systems."  
  
The computer system heeded her verbal command. Seconds passed in quiet until blue light formed in front of the Alekto. It took the shape of a man, handsome, well-dressed, at ease. While she was seated on her pillows he was in a high-backed chair, the top decorated with an insignia that made Tisiphone scowl: a winged infinity symbol.  
  
The insignia of Pan-Empyrean Holdings.  
  
"Sidney," the Alekto said, some bemusement in her voice. "Have I alleviated you from the tedium of your stockholders?"  
  
" _Not today_ ," he answered, his voice resigned but not hostile. He settled his hands on his lap. " _To what do I owe the pleasure? Have you finally considered my argument?_ "  
  
"I have." The Alekto nodded. "I require further proof. A test, and a personal one. You should make the arrangements."  
  
That did draw a sigh from the wealthy self-made immortal. " _I wish you'd take this on my personal word. But I know better. And I don't have much of a choice, do I?_ "  
  
That made the Alekto's grin turned satisfied, almost wickedly so. From the folds of her gown she brought up an object, a cylindrical device, one many across the Multiverse would now recognize as a lightsaber.  
  
And one many a Gersallian would recognize as _the_ lightsaber: _Swenyakesh_. Swenya's Blade itself.  
  
"No," purred the Alekto. "You _don't_."


	6. Chapter 6

**Tag**  
  
  
Departure from DS9 was due within a few hours, so the crew of the station and of the _Aurora_ made use of the time they had.  
  
The Lookout's bar was loaded with the dishes emerging from the kitchen, where the assembled from both groups were quick to parcel it all out. It didn't go unnoticed when Sisko, clad in a chef's uniform and apron, emerged with Hargert, clad similarly, each with a jambalaya dish in their potholder-clad hands. They set their work down at the middle of the bara. "Alright everyone, the main course is ready!" Sisko proclaimed.  
  
"And quite the course it is," Hargert added. He smiled and bowed his head toward Sisko. "It's been quite an education, Captain. My understanding of New Orleans cuisine was always a little lacking."  
  
That brought a grin to the commander of DS9. "It's always important to remember the distinction between Creole and Cajun. My father taught me that early. I suggest you stop in at his restaurant if you're ever at our Earth," Sisko said. "And bring that _leika_ spice when you do, Dad'll find a lot of uses for it."  
  
Hargert nodded at the reference to one of the Dorei spices he was familiar with. "Of course. Once you showed me your recipes I thought it might complement the flavor."  
  
This was overheard by the others. "I suppose we're about to find out," said Bashir.  
  
"Oh, I think it'll work," Jarod said, waiting patiently to take his own share.  
  
  
  
Cat was getting her own fairly small tidbits while in conversation with Dax on the subject of T'Vral Distortions. "...saw the report, and I was surprised by the intensity of the gravimetric distortion," the raven-haired Trill woman said.  
  
Cat restrained a sigh: Dax was as pretty as ever, but Cat already knew from Angel she was spoken for. Briefly she wondered if the symbiotes had any influence on the sexual orientation of the host, since even if they were always in straight hosts the odds were good of experiencing both genders over time.  
  
"And what about the expanse of the subspace effect?" Dax asked, bringing Cat's attention back to the subject. "Did that conform to Doctor T'Vral's theory?"  
  
"The first one did," Cat answered, recalling the example she saw and the later ones explored by other ships. "A few months later the _Kitana_ found a field with three times the projected volume for the star type. We think it was Betelgeuse, although with the Fracture's messed up space-time we can't be sure. And the _Maimonides_ found other new ones in their recent mission."  
  
"I'll have to look into those reports." There was a passionate curiosity in Dax's voice. "It fascinates me to hear this. Back in Starfleet Academy, before I was Joined, I did a paper in my junior year on T'Vral's theory and the necessary conditions for it."  
  
"I'd like to think Doctor T'Vral would appreciate seeing her work confirmed," Cat said, recognizing that whatever the Dax part of her was, the host Jadzia was at least somewhat a fellow soul on the matter of science. Being an older woman she didn't have the same youthful enthusiasm - and that didn't count having a centuries-old being in her body, sharing a personality and memory - but Cat could see that being her in a decade or so.  
  
The thought came roaring through her without warning. _If I live that long_. She saw her own death-dulled eyes again, in that slightly different uniform, in her chair on the broken _Aurora_ bridge.  
  
"Is everything okay?"  
  
"Hrm?" Cat blinked and noticed the worried look on Dax's face. "What?"  
  
"You went a little pale there," Dax said.  
  
"Oh. I just… a thought. Just a thought." They sat down at a table where Tom and O'Brien were already present, talking about the damage that NEUROM's agents had done to the station. O'Brien recognized their presence with a quick "Commanders".  
  
After responding with "Chief" and "Tom", Cat dug her fork and spoon into the jambalaya, curious about it. She'd had some spicy food before, and she'd heard good things about Sisko's cooking. Combined with Hargert, she imagined it would be great.  
  
It was.  
  
While she enjoyed eating it, Cat found herself looking over the assembled. Lucy was the only one not present, given her injuries still had her in the medbay, but everyone else, even Gina, was digging in. Her eyes tracked through the room to where Sisko and Kaveri were seated with Zack and General Martok. The latter stood out given the metal mug in his hand, but he seemed content to attempt the Human cuisine as well.  
  
"So, what more can you tell me about the Fracture?" Dax asked.  
  
That drew Cat's attention back. But even as she spoke on the subject, her mind kept wandering back to Kaveri.  
  
  
  
Gina was mostly by herself at a corner table of the Lookout, and that suited her. With her portion of the meal finished she was still hard at work over a translation that now seemed hopeless. As much as she tried, she couldn't make sense of much of the message.  
  
"Everything going well?" Robert sat down beside her. "Or do you want to be alone?"  
  
Gina sensed the genuine warmth in Robert. It was annoying in that it was a distraction, but it was also something she couldn't help but appreciate. "I'm… well, I'm still occupied." Gina held up a paper she'd scribbled her translation attempts on. Robert took it and looked over the flowing Gersallian characters. "I've tried to transliterate into modern Gersallian and even your Latin alphabet, but nothing works."  
  
Robert furled his brow. The first line made actual sense. " _By my name the way to the truth will be open._ " But the rest was a random assortment of Gersallian characters. They didn't make sense. "Maybe it's a cipher," Robert suggested. "We should run it through some conventional Gersallian ciphering techniques."  
  
"That's my next step."  
  
"Good." Robert took her papers before Gina could stop him and set them in a chair. She looked at him like he was insane. He grinned. "Now, how about you go and get a second helping, because it's really good, and find some people to talk to? Personally I'm interested in asking Major Kira more about Bajoran spirituality."  
  
Gina sighed. "We need to get this finished."  
  
"We do," he agreed. "But we need to tend to ourselves first. I think _Mastrash_ Ledosh would prefer it that way."  
  
She almost protested that, but sensed Robert wouldn't yield. With a sigh she stood up, plates in hand, and followed Robert out of the corner.  
  
  
  
  
They were an hour out from DS9 when Cat arrived on the bridge. Beta Shift's watches were standing now with Lieutenant Tinashe Takawira as the Officer of the Watch. He'd been moved from his usual position on Gamma Shift by Kaveri as one of her small changes to the running of the ship. He noted her presence with a nod. "Commander."  
  
"Lieutenant. Just here to see the Captain."  
  
"She's in the ready office," he replied, his accented English from his homeworld Nkomo, a Zimbabwean-founded colony.  
  
"Thanks. And congratulations, I heard you're due for the promotion at the start of next month."  
  
He smiled. "Thank you." The smile turned a little bitter. "Captain Andreys signed the recommendation to the Promotion Board. I wish she could be here to see it."  
  
"So do I," Cat said. She missed Julia too. "I'm sure she'll be happy when she hears it."  
  
There was nothing more to say on the subject so Cat approached the ready office door. She took in a breath to steady herself and hit the door chime. A part of her didn't want to do this, was worried the others would still find out…  
  
...but she had to. For her own sake of mind, her own sanity, she needed to tell someone. Needed to have some advice.  
  
"Come in," came from the other side, aided by the speaker system. The door slid open and Cat entered. Kaveri was at her desk, a digital reader in one hand and a cup of hot _chai_ in the other. Cat stood at attention and Kaveri let her relax, replying with "At ease. Take a seat, Commander."  
  
She did so. "I… I've thought about what you said, Captain." Cat settled her hands in her lap and used them to brush at the uniform skirt that went to her knees. She made herself look back up and focus on Kaveri. "It's true that I've let things go, and I'm going to fix that. I… I've had something that just... " She pursed her lips in thought. "Can I explain it to you? It's a lot to take in, and it's a little scary."  
  
Kaveri set the digital reader down. "Go ahead," she said. "Given all I have survived, I can handle scary, Commander."  
  
Cat nodded. "Okay." She felt one last counter-push, one last urge to break this off, but she forced it away. She was committed. She had to do this to keep Captain Varma's respect, and given how much Tra'dur respected her "Mother-Ka", she felt like she wanted it. "A little over a year ago, after the Canary Wharf incident in W8R4, I traveled with the being we encountered there, the Time Lord called the Doctor. For everyone else I was only gone for a few minutes, but for me it was almost a year."  
  
"And something happened to you on this journey?"  
  
Cat nodded. "You could say that..."


End file.
